Strange to see hundreds of chickens "flying" on the offering tray on the 15th day of the first lunar month

Hundreds of chickens create "unique" positions on the feast tray on the 15th day of the first lunar month. (Clip: Hoai Nam)

The chickens were transformed into phoenixes, creating unique positions such as flying chickens, kneeling chickens, and sitting chickens to be offered to the ancestral altar on the 15th day of the first lunar month in Ha Tinh .

On the afternoon of February 12 (January 15), descendants of the Nguyen Van and Nguyen Minh families (Binh An commune, Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh province) prepared offerings to present at the ancestral altar. Here, the offerings were made very elaborately and meticulously, with chicken, pig, goat, banh chung, etc.

In particular, on the altar of ancestors , there are chickens with very beautiful poses. People boil chickens, pose them kneeling or standing upright, but with both wings spread out as if they are ready to fly.

The chickens were decorated with colorful wings like phoenixes to be offered on the altar. Many others were made to stand upright, their feet stepping on golden turtles to create a majestic pose.

The representative of the Nguyen Van family said that this year the family organized the Grand Ceremony, which happens once every 10 years, so the offerings were made more special and beautiful. The offerings were prepared by the branches and sub-families in the family. On the morning of the 15th day of the first lunar month, about 100 chickens were placed on the offerings at the family altar. According to the locals, to have the offering tray with the chickens with their legs straight and wings up, people have to wake up at 4am to do it.

For many years, offering trays of chickens to ancestors on the occasion of the full moon of the first lunar month has become a tradition for many families and clans in Loc Ha district (Ha Tinh). In the photo, the Nguyen Minh clan also has about 100 chickens offered to the ancestral altar at the clan temple.

Chickens chosen to be offered on the altar usually weigh 4-5kg. Many skilled people can do it themselves, but some families have to hire someone to do it. The cost for each chicken is 200-400 thousand VND, depending on the size and weight of each chicken.

Many people are amazed and impressed by the ingenuity of the person who can create various "flying" chicken poses.