Remember the fireplace in the stilt house

(GLO) - Having lived in the Central Highlands for nearly 50 years, I have traveled through many villages and met countless people who are as gentle as the land and as simple as the forest trees. And in those villages, the hearths of the stilt houses have left a deep impression on me with their warm and genuine atmosphere.

The Central Highlands have a climate with two distinct seasons: dry and rainy. However, in the high mountains, nights are cold in every season. Therefore, the hearth was considered a guardian spirit, bringing life, joy, and happiness year-round to each family in the ancient villages. Most ethnic groups in the Truong Son-Central Highlands region have similar designs and placements of hearths in their stilt houses.

An average family with three generations usually has two hearths: a main hearth and a secondary hearth. The main hearth is located to the right of the entrance, near the back wall of the house, and is slightly larger, with a rack above for drying food. The secondary hearth is smaller, located to the left of the entrance, mostly square with a wooden frame, and the inside is tightly packed with clay. The hearth usually has three equal-sized stones as the kitchen god (which can be moved as needed).

According to the traditional beliefs of the people of the Central Highlands, besides mountain gods, river gods, and village gods, there are also household gods and kitchen gods... These are close deities that bring prosperity and happiness to family members. Therefore, in prayers and rituals such as health celebrations, ear-piercing ceremonies, new rice harvest celebrations, and housewarming ceremonies, they invite the kitchen god to attend and witness, hoping to bring good fortune to the family. They have rules and taboos regarding the family kitchen, such as always keeping the kitchen dry and tidy.

When building a new house, the first step is to offer a full ritual to the kitchen god. Then, the shaman hands the sacred fire to the homeowner (usually the oldest woman in the house) and keeps the fire burning continuously day and night using dry forest wood that has been prepared beforehand.

In the following days, the fire in the hearth must not be allowed to cool down; the embers must be kept hot in the ashes, and when cooking is needed, simply add more firewood. Children are not allowed to play near the main fire; outsiders are not allowed to approach the hearth to ask for fire to take home without the homeowner's permission and must personally help them take the burning embers.

Illustration: HUYEN TRANG

Firewood for cooking is carefully selected and stored for months, especially during the long rainy season. The wood must be cut from standing, dry trees. Stockpiling firewood to keep the family fire burning warmly year-round is a rather arduous task for the women of the household.

Some ethnic groups still have the custom of "engagement firewood." When a girl reaches marriageable age, her parents guide her on how to cut and store firewood for the engagement. She must go into the forest to select chestnut, red pine, or bời lời trees of suitable size, cut them into sections, split them evenly, bundle them beautifully, and carry them home to a dry place. When it is time for the engagement, the girl brings the firewood she has stored to her husband's house as a dowry. If the firewood is sturdy, straight, beautiful, and neatly arranged, then the girl is considered by her husband's family and the villagers to be virtuous, diligent, and possessing the qualities to be a good wife.

The indigenous people of the Central Highlands believe that the hearth is not only a place for cooking, providing warmth and sustenance for all family members, but also a place to warm themselves during the cold rainy season and the long, freezing nights in the forest; it is a source of light when the sun sets, allowing family members to see each other clearly. Furthermore, the main hearth is a gathering place for the family, a place to advise and guide children; a place to entertain guests with jars of rice wine and the warm glow of laughter, along with lively conversations that last all night long…

I once sat with the village elder by the warm fire in a stilt house on a cold winter night, drinking rice wine from jugs and chatting with the host until I was drunk without realizing it. Waking up in the middle of the night, I found myself lying on a mat by the blazing fire; occasionally someone would come to add more firewood to keep everyone warm while they slept soundly. There were meals where I was a guest, sitting on a wooden stool by the fire, and the villagers would bring me tubes of hot sticky rice, probably roasted by a family member on the side stove.

The host sat with me by the main stove, using a stick to stir a few tender, steaming bamboo shoots in the hot ashes, then peeled them and offered them to me to dip in a mixture of salt and crushed chili peppers, to be eaten with sticky rice—a delicious, indescribable taste. It was simple, yet incredibly warm and happy. And I can never forget those moments by the fire in the stilt house, where families shared the warmth of that sacred fire with me.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nho-bep-lua-nha-san-post319884.html