(VHQN) - In the old days, our community bonds were forged through the "embrace" of "Dragon and Snake Climbing to the Clouds" and the tight handshakes of "Dung Dang Dung De." These children's games strengthened our legs, made our bodies more agile, and we memorized countless easy-to-remember, simple, and rustic nursery rhymes that kept our souls as pure as the full moon.
Playing under the moonlight
Waiting for moonlit nights, we would excitedly head towards the hill – where countless traces of war remained – where only wildflowers grew all over the slopes. There, beneath the trenches and beside the unexploded bombs, was where we would play mock battles.
We divided into enemy and friendly sides, but none of us wanted to be the enemy; everyone vied to play the role of soldiers. During the battle, we used the fruit of the bời lời tree as "ammunition" in our "shooting" game. The bời lời fruit, when shot, caused excruciating pain, its crushed shell releasing a pungent, acrid smell similar to "bullet smoke."
As we grew up, we went our separate ways, but when we talk about childhood memories, we always remember the time we played nursery rhymes together, waited for the moon to rise together...
The enemy always loses, surrendering with both hands raised, being escorted from underground bunkers and trenches... to be "returned to us"! Our commanders are chosen to be traditional healers.
On the other side, they chose a stronger, bigger person to lead, with the one behind wrapping their arms around the waist of the one in front, and so on, forming a dragon or a snake, running and singing, engaging in a call-and-response between the doctor and the dragon and the snake:
“ Dragons and snakes climbing to the clouds / There's a swaying tree / There's a house of soldiers / Is the doctor home or not? / Give me some fire / What for? / Fire to cook fish / How many pieces of fish? / Three pieces of fish / Give me the head piece / A bone, a lump / Give me the middle piece / A lump of blood, a lump of meat / Give me the tail piece / You can chase as much as you want… ”.
Sometimes they use a different response: " Yes, where are you going, mother and child?/ The dragon and child are going to get medicine for the child/ How old are you?/ I'm one/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm two/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm three/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm four/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm five/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm six/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm seven/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm eight/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm nine/ The medicine isn't good/ I'm ten/ If the medicine is good, please give me the head/ With bones and scraps/ Please give me the middle/ With blood and pulp/ Please give me the tail/ You can chase as much as you want ."
The children sang and played boisterously. Not only "Dragon and Snake Climbing the Clouds," but also "Cat Chasing Mouse," "Dung Dang Dung De," and other songs echoed throughout the village under the moonlight, sometimes dim, sometimes bright.
The bond between children
Back then, there were no clocks or calendars; we could only guess the month and day by looking at the moon. We all knew this by heart: " The first day is a crescent moon / The second day is a rice leaf / The third day is a sickle / The fourth day is a scythe / The fifth day is a winnowing sickle / The sixth day is a real moon / The tenth day is a hidden moon / The sixteenth day is a hanging moon / The seventeenth day is a broken bed / The eighteenth day is a burnt chaff / The nineteenth day is a mound / The twentieth day is a good dream / The twenty-first day is midnight / The twenty-second day is the same as the hand / The twenty-third day is the same as the head / The twenty-fourth day is where it is / The twenty-fifth day is there / The twenty-sixth day is like that / The twenty-seventh day is how it is / The twenty-eighth day is how it is / The twenty-ninth day is like that / The thirtieth day is no moon ."
We had to wait until the next full moon, so we agreed to go out on the "seventeenth moon," because when everyone was tired and fast asleep, we would secretly run up the hill...
We played the game, but I didn't fully understand the meaning behind the rhyme. My grandmother explained that it symbolizes solidarity between people, through the story of the dragon and the snake, a symbol of unity and cooperation that must not be broken, but rather seamlessly integrated. And the deeper meaning is the bond within the community, the will of the entire nation.
My grandmother further explained why, when the dragon procession sings the line "Chase as much as you want," the doctor begins to chase the procession. The leader does everything to protect the tail end. The doctor must do everything to touch the tail end, meaning to touch the last person in the dragon procession. If the doctor catches the tail end, that person will be eliminated from the game.
Why not catch it by the head? Only then do I understand the principle of catching snakes according to our ancestors: the quickest way is to touch the tail, because the head contains venom and is easily bitten. When catching a snake, you have to pull hard to stretch its spine, weakening it considerably, then throw it forcefully to incapacitate it… Through games and folk songs, our ancestors taught us how to live, how to treat others, and how to harmonize with nature…
As we grew up, we went our separate ways, but when we reminisce about our childhood, we always remember those beautiful days playing games together, singing nursery rhymes, and waiting for the moon to shine. Suddenly, tonight, I hear the clear sounds of laughter and voices calling out to each other. I long for another moonlit night.
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