Preserving the cultural beauty of the Tet Ong Cong, Ong Tao (Kitchen God) festival.

As is customary, every year on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, people excitedly buy votive paper, carp, incense, and flowers to offer to the Kitchen God and the Stove God. This is a traditional Vietnamese cultural practice passed down through many generations.

Releasing carp on the day of the Kitchen God and Stove God festival.

According to legend, Ông Công is the god who governs the land within the house, while Ông Táo are the three kitchen gods who oversee the kitchen. Ông Công and Ông Táo were sent down to earth by the Jade Emperor to monitor and record the good and evil deeds of people. Every year, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, these gods ride carp to Heaven to report all the good and bad deeds of people throughout the year so that Heaven can judge their merits and faults. Wishing for good fortune for their families, every year on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, people hold a ceremony to offer sacrifices to Ông Công and Ông Táo before they ascend to Heaven.

Each family has its own unique way of arranging the offerings for the Kitchen God and Goddess, but the hats for the Kitchen God and Goddess and the carp are indispensable offerings. In recent days, strolling through markets of all sizes in the province, from urban to rural areas, one can see sets of paper offerings for the Kitchen God and Goddess being sold everywhere. Ms. Tran Thi Hue, a businesswoman selling paper offerings at Pho Hien Market ( Hung Yen City), said: "Normally, a set of offerings for the Kitchen God and Goddess includes: a hat, clothes, a pair of shoes, and a carp. However, in recent years, with the mentality of 'what happens in the earthly world is reflected in the afterlife,' many people have bought items such as cars, motorbikes, telephones, multi-story houses, televisions, washing machines, and paper jewelry to offer to the Kitchen God and Goddess. Therefore, during the Tet holiday for the Kitchen God and Goddess, I usually import many more types of goods to meet customer demand." Along with votive paper offerings, the market for carp is also bustling with various prices, averaging from 10,000 to 30,000 VND per fish.

The ritual of worshipping the Kitchen God and the Stove God, like other beautiful customs of the Vietnamese people, always guides people towards goodness and virtue. The custom of releasing carp not only signifies the liberation of life, reflecting the humanistic values ​​in Vietnamese tradition, but also contributes to biodiversity in the areas where the fish are released. In reality, some people do not understand the true nature of the ritual of worshipping the Kitchen God and the Stove God, leading to uncivilized behavior, wasting money, and negatively impacting the environment. Based on our observations from previous years, after the Tet holiday dedicated to the Kitchen God and the Stove God, many ponds and lakes are overflowing with plastic waste.

Mr. Tran Van Uoc, a resident living near An Tao Bridge (Hung Yen City), expressed his frustration: "Some people are thoughtless; they not only release fish from the bridge but also throw ashes, votive paper, and even many plastic bags, turning the riverbank into a garbage dump. On the day of the Kitchen God Festival, most families buy votive offerings to bid farewell to the Kitchen God, with an average cost of 30,000 to 50,000 VND per set. Multiplying that by millions of families, it becomes a very large sum of money. Furthermore, due to the mentality of 'wealth breeds extravagance,' many families don't hesitate to spend millions of VND on votive items such as houses, televisions, refrigerators, cars, and airplanes to burn on the day of the Kitchen God Festival."

The excessive burning of votive paper offerings not only causes environmental pollution, poses fire and explosion risks, and wastes money, but also diminishes the spiritual and cultural beauty of the Vietnamese people. Therefore, to preserve the cultural beauty of the Tet Ong Cong, Ong Tao (Kitchen God) festival, localities need to strengthen propaganda efforts to eliminate superstitious activities and help people change their habits of burning votive paper offerings in a civilized and economical way. Along with that, each family needs to raise awareness of environmental protection when releasing fish and votive paper offerings into rivers and lakes, avoiding plastic bags, and disposing of waste in designated areas. The ancients taught, "A simple offering with a sincere heart," so those offering sacrifices don't need elaborate feasts or burning a lot of votive paper; sincerity and good deeds are enough to fully express the sacred meaning. Another Tet Ong Cong, Ong Tao festival has arrived, and the people are once again eagerly preparing to celebrate the traditional festival, further enriching the cultural traditions. Hopefully, everyone and every family will be conscious of preserving the cultural beauty of the Tet Ong Cong, Ong Tao festival by not wasting money on votive offerings and not littering when sending the Kitchen Gods back to heaven.

Phuc Hung

Source: https://baohungyen.vn/gin-giu-net-dep-van-hoa-ngay-tet-ong-cong-ong-tao-3178772.html