Unique rice cooking competition in Thi Cam Xuan village

In the warm spring air, on the 8th day of the first lunar month, the people of Thi Cam village (Xuan Phuong commune, Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi ) hold a fire-making and rice-cooking competition, preserving a traditional culture that dates back thousands of years.

Let's explore this unique festival through the photo series "Unique Rice Cooking Competition in Thi Cam Village, Spring of the Year of the Rabbit 2023" by author Bui Cuong Quyet, featuring scenes of pounding rice, making fire, fetching water, cooking rice, and preparing steamed rice... The Thi Cam Rice Cooking Competition photo series is a characteristic symbol of the rice-farming community, a wish for a year of abundance. This is also an occasion for the villagers to remember the contributions of the village's patron saint, Phan Tay Nhac, and to recall the glorious victories of our ancestors in fighting invaders and defending the country. The photo series was submitted by the author to the Happy Vietnam Photo and Video Contest, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications . On January 29, 2023 (the 8th day of the first lunar month), a large number of people from Thi Cam village (Xuan Phuong ward, Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi) gathered at the village communal house to participate in the traditional fire-making and rice-cooking competition. Historically, Thi Cam village had four hamlets, each sending a team to compete in the rice-cooking contest. Before the competition, the teams prepared their necessary items such as mortars, pestles, straw, pots, etc. Each team was given 1kg of rice by the organizers to cook. The traditional method of creating fire involves using two bamboo sticks clamped to a bundle of tinder, with two bamboo sticks positioned one above and one below to draw the fire, a practice observed by the villagers of Thi Cam at their village festival. The main parts of the competition include: pounding rice, drawing fire, fetching water, and cooking rice. Upon receiving the materials, the strongest young people must quickly pound the rice as fast as possible, while another group must fetch water from about 800 meters away from the competition venue. From the moment the rice is pounded until the end, the entire competition only takes an hour, so all the parts of the contest go by very quickly. At the end of the competition, the rice dishes are offered to the Saint and judged. The organizing committee will award first prize to the team with the most delicious pot of rice. The Thi Cam Rice Cooking Contest is held to honor General Phan Tay Nhac, a general from the Hung King era who contributed to the nation. With its unique and distinctive values, on March 9, 2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 827/QD-BVHTTDL, officially listing the traditional festival - Thi Cam Rice Cooking Contest - in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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