The good mother stood in the kitchen for 4 hours, making a beautiful and perfect full moon feast for the 7th lunar month.

The full moon of the seventh lunar month is an important holiday in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people. Many families prepare a full tray of food to offer to their grandparents and ancestors.

For a long time, preparing the offering tray for the Mid-Autumn Festival (the 7th lunar month) has been a beautiful tradition for many Vietnamese families. Beyond expressing gratitude and filial piety, the offering tray also conveys a message of purity, peace, and unity.

Waking up early in the morning to prepare the feast.

Ms. Dao Thi Ly (38 years old, Hanoi ) believes that the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is one of the important holidays for Vietnamese people, a time when descendants remember their ancestors, grandparents, and parents.

"Every year, when the full moon arrives, I prepare a lavish meal to offer as incense. This is not only a traditional ritual but also an opportunity for family members to gather and strengthen their bonds," she shared.

The feast for the 7th lunar month's full moon festival was prepared by Ms. Ly. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

To prepare a complete feast, she usually plans the menu and goes shopping the day before. Vegetables, roots, meat, and fish are all pre-prepared, so the next morning she only needs to turn on the stove to cook and arrange the dishes. However, to prepare eight main dishes, four side dishes, and a bowl of soup, she has to wake up at 5 am and spend a full four hours in the kitchen.

The main dishes on this year's feast table include roasted bird, sea crab, bamboo shoot and pork knuckle soup, sticky rice, peanuts... All are neatly arranged.

Meticulous attention to detail, from preparation to presentation. Photo: Provided by the subject.

In particular, she also prepared 40 chrysanthemums in various colors to decorate the altar, making the space more solemn and cozy. For Ms. Ly, this act is extremely meaningful, so she always devotes all her thoughts and feelings to carrying it out.

The fruits for the offering were meticulously arranged by her. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

The whole family cooked a feast together.

Every year on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, Chau Hoai Anh's family (37 years old, Hanoi) gathers to prepare two trays of offerings – one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian – to present to their ancestors. This is an important occasion, so the whole family works together to prepare the offerings and the ceremonial food.

The vegetarian feast (on the left) and the meat feast (on the right) were prepared by Hoai Anh's entire family. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

According to Hoai Anh, her mother-in-law will take care of preparing the altar, including the gold coins and fruits; her husband will be in charge of cooking the savory dishes according to his wife's suggested menu; and she will handle the vegetarian dishes and the arrangement and decoration to make the altar more solemn.

The main dish on Hoai Anh's family's savory feast is chicken, including half a grilled chicken, half a shredded chicken mixed in a salad, chicken broth cooked with dried bamboo shoots, and chicken gizzards and livers stir-fried with bitter melon and bean sprouts.

Meticulous and elaborate in its presentation. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

The vegetarian feast includes: Sticky rice with mung beans served with stir-fried mushrooms, mixed mushroom soup with lotus root, mung bean and lotus seed sweet soup, breaded fried mushrooms, tofu and various types of mushrooms braised until crispy, mixed stir-fried vermicelli, and vegetarian spring rolls.

Ms. Hoai Anh always prepares vegetarian dishes herself. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

Not only Hoai Anh, but many families also dedicate time and effort to preparing the most delicious, beautiful, and meticulously prepared offerings for the Mid-Autumn Festival in the seventh lunar month.

Ms. Vu Thu Huong (Hanoi) said she spent half a day preparing the offering tray for the Mid-Autumn Festival in the seventh lunar month. Every year, her family arranges their schedules to ensure the festival is as well-prepared as possible.

To ensure everything was perfect for the full moon of the seventh lunar month, which is also the Vu Lan festival, Ms. Huong prepared two trays of food: one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian.

The savory feast includes 11 dishes: Boiled chicken with rose petals, peacock spring rolls, phoenix-shaped patties, lotus-shaped glutinous rice, golden lotus seed and custard buns, steamed shrimp in coconut milk, seafood spring rolls, beef stir-fried with potatoes, papaya salad with dried beef, cinnamon-flavored patties, and fish ball soup.

A feast with a variety of savory dishes prepared by Ms. Vu Thu Huong. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

The vegetarian feast includes 11 dishes and 2 desserts: Happy Mushroom Sausage, Auspicious Fried Spring Rolls, Lucky Five-Colored Rolls, Peaceful BBQ Grilled Skewers, Blessed Lotus Sticky Rice, Auspicious Lotus Steamed Buns, Pure Areca Flower Sweet Soup, and Virtuous Lotus Jelly,...

A vegetarian feast prepared by Ms. Vu Thu Huong. Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

To create this elaborate menu, Ms. Huong had to buy and prepare the ingredients the day before, then cook and arrange them the next day.

"The feast on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is not only a meal to enjoy, but also an opportunity for children and grandchildren to show their respect and strengthen family bonds."

"Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, preserving and cherishing this beauty is a way for us to nurture our spiritual lives, leading to lasting peace and happiness," Ms. Huong shared.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/me-dam-dung-bep-4-tieng-lam-mam-co-ram-thang-7-dep-my-man-172250906064554736.htm