Kicking off the vibrant summer on Ba Den Mountain - the highest mountain in the South, the leaf market - a unique market in Tay Ninh will be held every Saturday in June. The markets will take place from 5-7pm, and the leaf distribution time is from 4-6pm.
The strange thing about this market is that visitors do not need to use money, but use Bodhi leaves to buy goods. Each visitor when taking the cable car up Ba Den Mountain will be given a Bodhi leaf for free. All kinds of delicious cakes, sweet soups, sticky rice, cassava... with the rich flavor of Tay Ninh folklore are bustlingly sold on the top of the mountain. Tay Ninh specialty rice paper, banh it, banh cuon, banh ú, banh xu xe, banh bot loc, banh bo, banh da lon..., hundreds of types of cakes with different colors and flavors create a fragrant market with the flavor of the countryside.
Ms. Pham Khanh Hoa (HCMC) shared: “There are so many attractive country dishes that remind me of my childhood memories. I just wish I had more Bodhi leaves to eat all the specialties here.”
Tay Ninh is known as the hometown of the Leaf Market. No one remembers exactly when the first leaf market was held. Tay Ninh people tell each other that about ten years ago, an elderly man who often did charity work in Hoa Thanh town, Mr. Bui Quoc Thai, gave birth to this "unique" market.
Here, everyone, young or old, rich or poor, Tay Ninh people or people from all over the country… can come to exchange and buy and sell with their “capital”. Whoever has sticky rice brings sticky rice, whoever has cakes brings cakes, everyone just needs to use leaves to exchange for food. Leaves also do not have any “value”, whoever likes what they choose, whoever wants to eat what they buy.
Then every year, on the 14th and 15th of January, Tay Ninh people organize the La Market. In the minds of Vietnamese people, the Full Moon of January is an important holiday to pray for peace and prosperity in the new year, and also to strive for goodness and kindness. The La Market held on the Full Moon of January is also the wish of the people of the sacred land of Tay Ninh for a peaceful, prosperous life, where everyone has a spirit of sharing and a kind heart.
Nowadays, La market has become a “specialty” of Tay Ninh and is the only market in the country that does not use money. You can go to Vieng market ( Nam Dinh ) in the style of the old Northern market to “buy luck and sell well” all year, where buyers do not haggle, sellers are happy and generous to bring luck for the whole year.
You can also go to Am Duong market ( Bac Ninh ) to pray for luck and relieve your worries - where buyers and sellers do not bargain, do not count money, and are not noisy. But only at La market in Tay Ninh, you can use leaves to not only buy food, but also to "buy" joy and luck.
Thanks to its special appeal and cultural value, Tay Ninh Leaf Market has recently been recreated in several other provinces and cities on special occasions such as in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai.
At Ba Den Mountain - an iconic destination of Tay Ninh, today, La markets are often held on major holidays such as Tet, Ba's birthday... to recreate the beauty of the rustic cultural life of the people here, and help visitors feel the unique culinary flavors of the land of beef and rice paper.
The unique thing is that at Ba Den Mountain, the stalls are specially set up to remind us of the old village markets with thatched stalls, with girls wearing Ao Ba Ba and scarves. More interestingly, this “unique” market is also a unique cultural space, where visitors can immerse themselves in the joyful atmosphere of folk games and fun dances around the market.
“This strange market is a place where you come not only to eat and drink, but also to have fun and relive beautiful childhood memories. The important thing is that everyone is connected to each other, almost everyone is happy, and no longer feels any distance from each other” – Ms. Tran Thi Tu (from Long An province) shared.
After La Market, the activity that tourists look forward to the most when coming to Ba Den Mountain is attending the lantern offering ceremony at Tay Bo Da Son Square. Here, each visitor receives a free lantern and writes their own wishes to offer to the Buddha. Thousands of lanterns lit up at night at the foot of the Buddha statue, creating a memorable spiritual and cultural experience on the sacred mountain top.
Known as the roof of the South, Ba Den Mountain is known as the perfect summer escape destination with the temperature on the top of the mountain always 8-10 degrees Celsius lower than the city. Along with La Market and the sacred lantern offering ceremony taking place on Saturdays in June, Ba Den Mountain has become the hottest destination in the South in early summer this year.
HT
Source: https://baotayninh.vn/nui-ba-den-tay-ninh-to-chuc-cho-la-vao-cac-ngay-thu-7-trong-thang-6-a191178.html
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