In my hometown and some other rural areas in the Central region, to refer to the work of going into the forest to collect firewood, people often say briefly: "Going to collect firewood". Anyone who has ever learned about the wedding culture of the Gie Trieng people in Kon Tum will know a rather unique custom, which is that when young girls grow up and want to "catch a husband", they must learn how to go chop firewood and bring it home to pile it neatly on the porch. They call it engagement firewood. The bundles of firewood are evidence of the girls' health, dynamism, talent, and hard work, and are the basis for young men to pay attention, explore, and come to confess their love. Then when they get married, those bundles of firewood with the color of love will become a special dowry that the girls give to the warm fire in their husband's house. When I was young, I went to collect firewood many times, but not to collect firewood to "catch a husband" but to help my parents have something to cook every day.
At that time, we were only 13 or 14 years old. Our house was about 5 to 6 kilometers from the forest. During summer vacation or days off from school, every morning, we often went into the forest together to collect firewood. At first, we followed experienced elders, but after getting used to it, sometimes only a few of us went together. Usually, near dawn, when the first crowing of the roosters in the village was heard, our parents would wake us up to cook rice. Sometimes, the adults would wake up early to help cook so that the children could sleep more and regain their strength. After the rice was cooked and eaten, each child would wrap a portion in an areca leaf to bring along with a water bottle, a hoe, a machete, and some bamboo, rattan, or rolled ropes that had been prepared the previous afternoon. Then, after calling each other, the whole group gathered together to go when the road underfoot was still damp with dew and the stars in the sky were still twinkling.
The road from our house to the forest had to pass through several small hamlets, a couple of fields, several rolling hills on the border, and several small streams. At the edge of the forest, everyone had to follow a small path leading into deeper areas to hope for firewood, because on the outer edges, the previous people had cut and taken everything long ago, leaving only bushes and thorny bushes. When we found a flat area, and saw a lot of firewood around, we immediately chose it as a gathering point, hid the poles and other things, then shouldered our machetes and dispersed in different directions. To avoid deforestation and to make the load lighter, the firewood chosen was usually dry. To get good firewood that burned well, we often had to crawl into the dense bushes. But when we were young, everyone was eager, not afraid of hardship, whenever we saw beautiful firewood, we would use our machetes to clear away thorns and vines and go in. When they had enough firewood, everyone gathered it up, then took turns carrying each small bundle, putting it down at the gathering place, and cutting it into equal pieces to make the main bundle. A load of firewood had two bundles. When the bundle was finished, some more firewood had to be added to the bundle to make it tight, then a pole had to be used to stab through both ends, one bundle at each end to carry.
After the bundle of firewood was finished, it was also the time for us to comfortably sit next to our work and open the rice bran, eating and chatting. Although we only ate with peanut salt, sesame salt, sometimes white salt, but after working hard, on hungry stomachs, everyone ate deliciously, leaving only a few empty bran. Sometimes, we came across wild jackfruit trees with ripe fruit hanging down, the whole group gathered to pick them down, split them open and eat.
When going into the forest to cut firewood, the experience passed down from the elders is to always pay attention to whether there are bees nesting in the place where you stand. If you come across a bee nest, it is difficult to escape being stung because the forest is surrounded by trees, and you cannot run far away. Not to mention honeybees, wasps, and even bees (the type of bee that has a tiny nest only the size of 2 fingers, stuck on leaves). Many people in my neighborhood who go into the forest to cut firewood have been stung by bees, leading to fever and having to stay home for several days. One type of tree that we also need to stay away from is the poison ivy. This type of tree has thick leaves, the trunk has milky white sap, when in contact with it will cause skin allergies, redness, burning, in many severe cases, the face, hands and feet will swell. Many people who go into the forest and unfortunately encounter this tree have to take antidote to recover quickly.
There are some stories related to firewood cutting that I still remember. One time, Thuy - a friend in the group, when collecting firewood on the slope, suddenly shouted loudly, making the others panic and run over. Thuy was right to be scared, because following her hand, we saw a huge python lying coiled into several coils on a tall tree trunk ahead. It seemed that the animal had eaten its fill and was sleeping. To avoid danger, we told each other not to make any noise but to quietly help Thuy carry the firewood to the gathering place. Once on the way back, when crossing a small stream, a bundle of firewood suddenly jumped out of the pole, broke the rope and fell into the water. With the help of some friends, I found a rope to tie it up and continue carrying it. But that was the time I will remember for the rest of my life, because the dry firewood fell into the stream, soaked with water, so the load was much heavier than usual...
Collecting firewood is quite hard. Sometimes while walking, the strap of the sandal breaks, the foot steps on sharp rocks, causing excruciating pain. Those who are not used to it will be scared to collect firewood, but for us when we were young, we were all happy and eager. We were eager because we felt like we were no longer children, we could work to help our parents; we were eager because we could see the pile of firewood we brought home in the yard or in the kitchen gradually getting higher, and firewood was one of the factors that contributed to creating cozy meals for the family.
Nowadays, not only in the city, many places in the countryside also use gas stoves, electric stoves, induction stoves... instead of wood stoves. My family is the same. However, for us, the story of collecting firewood in the past is hard to forget. Even the smell of rice wrapped in areca leaves eaten with a little salt in the forest when we finished bundling firewood sometimes appears in our memory.
TRAN NINH THO
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/nhung-vung-ky-uc/202410/nho-mot-thoi-di-cui-b444cae/
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