Buying salt at the beginning of the year.

(NLĐO) - Buying salt at the beginning of the year is a way to remind family members to always value love and loyalty, and to stay united in building a happy family.

When the peach and apricot blossoms were in full bloom, I dressed up in my new clothes to go out for a spring stroll at the beginning of the year, and suddenly heard a clear, melodious voice calling out: "Anyone want to buy salt?"

Suddenly, I remembered the beautiful custom from my time living in the poor, lowland countryside. No one knows exactly when it began, but our grandparents and parents always passed down the proverb: "Buy salt at the beginning of the year."

Many salt vendors have also creatively adapted the method by putting salt into red envelopes or pouches, symbolizing good luck.

The custom of "Buying salt at the beginning of the year"

According to farmers' beliefs, the rich flavor of salt brings good luck to the household. Therefore, for generations, there has been a custom of buying salt at the beginning of the year to express the wish for a peaceful and happy year.

I thought it was a custom of the North, but celebrating Tet in the South made me realize that beautiful customs always endure through time and will exist everywhere. Where there is supply, there will be demand; on the first day of Tet, salt vendors, with radiant faces like messengers of spring, are spreading beautiful values ​​and customs.

Everyone understands the value of pristine white salt; salt is an essential mineral indispensable in human biochemical processes, used to season food daily. Salt makes meals richer and more flavorful. For generations, salt has also been a symbol of family bonding.

I remember back when I was living with my parents in our hometown, I used to wonder why we had to buy salt at the beginning of the year. My mother, a simple and honest farmer, would answer based on experience: perhaps because of poverty in the past, buying salt was a way for our grandparents and parents to remind their children and grandchildren to be thrifty and economical.

But my father smiled and said: salt is crystallized from the sun, wind, and seawater, and only through the arduous labor of salt farmers can one obtain pure, white salt crystals. Therefore, salt also symbolizes good feelings, the warmth in relationships, the love between husband and wife, and children. Buying salt at the beginning of the year is a way to remind family members to always value affection and loyalty, and to stay united to build a happy family.

Holding a bag of salt in my hand, the pristine white grains filling my heart with hopes for a new beginning.

In the old days, women selling salt carried baskets full of salt, and when someone bought some, they would fill the basket to the brim, never leveling it off, hoping to bring prosperity and good fortune to the buyer. However, with the passage of time and the modernization of life, salt sellers no longer need to carry salt down winding alleyways; they can simply stand in locations frequented by tourists and those visiting during the Lunar New Year. Many salt sellers have even creatively adapted the method by putting salt in red envelopes or pouches, symbolizing good luck.

Sharing with me, the salt seller smiled faintly in the morning sun: "Selling salt is very easy. Sellers don't overcharge, and buyers don't haggle or bargain for fear of losing their good luck. Everyone is enthusiastic and excited to bring good fortune and blessings at the beginning of the year. So, for me, selling salt at the start of the year is very easy and brings a lot of joy."

Holding a bag of salt in my hand, the pristine white grains evoke a sense of hope for new beginnings. For me, the salt jar represents aspirations for a prosperous life, attracting wealth, cleansing the living space, and warding off negative energy.

The custom of "buying salt at the beginning of the year" embodies a humanistic value that our ancestors wanted to convey: a refined and cultured way of behaving, always emphasizing purity, elegance, and warmth in family and social relationships, and even more so, love for one's homeland and country.

So for me, buying salt at the beginning of the year not only signifies good luck, but I also want to continue preserving the good customs that our ancestors have left for us today and in the future...

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dau-nam-mua-muoi-196250129100400533.htm