The custom of slaughtering a pig together for the Lunar New Year feast.

For generations, the custom of slaughtering and sharing a pig during Tet (Lunar New Year) has been intertwined with the childhood memories of countless people born in rural areas. This is an interesting custom that is still maintained today, reflecting a unique aspect of community cultural life.

Every Tet holiday, the traditional dishes "Fatty pork, pickled onions, red couplets/New Year's pole, firecrackers, green sticky rice cakes" appear in every family in rural areas. It has become a tradition that on the 28th and 29th of Tet, several families in the neighborhood happily slaughter a pig together. This is an opportunity for family members to reunite, strengthen community bonds, and for young people to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the unique cultural identity of the nation.

I remember back then, a month before Tet (Lunar New Year), the neighbors would discuss slaughtering a pig for the celebration. The pigs for Tet were raised from the beginning of the year, purebred, and especially not given growth hormones so the meat would be fragrant and delicious. If they couldn't raise a pig themselves, the households sharing the Tet feast would find a fat, healthy pig to buy and raise together, waiting for the day to slaughter it. Tet pigs usually weighed between 60 and 80 kg, and depending on the pig's weight, four or two households would share the slaughter.

The atmosphere on pork slaughter day is joyful and bustling, with the squealing of pigs echoing throughout the village, signaling the arrival of Tet (Vietnamese New Year). From early morning, women light fires, prepare boiling water, fish sauce, salt, baskets, scales, banana leaves, and other supplies for the pork. Men prepare knives and cutting boards, tie up the pigs in the pens, carry them out to the yard to slaughter them, then some shave the hair, others clean the intestines. Children eagerly carry buckets of water, helping the adults wash the intestines.

The atmosphere on the day of the communal pig slaughter for Tet (Lunar New Year) is joyful and lively.

After the pig is slaughtered, it is butchered and deboned. Everything is divided equally among each family, from the leg, lean meat, fat, bones, head, ears, tongue, to blood pudding, intestines, and sausages... The pork brought home is used to make fillings for banh chung (Vietnamese rice cakes), sausages, and smoked meat... In the past, before refrigerators, the remaining meat was cut into pieces and salted, then prepared into dishes according to taste during Tet (Vietnamese New Year).

After the pig is divided, families hold a feast right at the house where the pig was slaughtered. The meal includes all members of the families who shared the pig, sometimes with several tables of food. All the dishes are made from the slaughtered pig, usually including offal such as intestines, liver, heart, and kidneys. During this meal, everyone sits together, shedding their worries and the stresses of life, discussing production, summarizing the past year, and looking forward to a happy and peaceful new year. Children eagerly enjoy the delicious pork dishes. This joyful gathering is like a prelude to Tet, creating a vibrant and exciting atmosphere.

Before slaughtering the pig, the women and mothers prepare by soaking sticky rice and mung beans, waiting for the meat to arrive home so they can marinate it and use it as filling for making banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes). In the evening, the children sit by the crackling fire, cooking the banh chung, eagerly listening to their grandmothers tell fairy tales all night long. The next morning after slaughtering the pig, the aroma of freshly cooked banh chung still lingers. Throughout the village, the scent of boiled meat and banh chung wafts through the air—a rich, warm, and festive atmosphere of Tet (Vietnamese New Year).

In recent years, with improved living standards, people no longer need to stockpile as much food for Tet (Lunar New Year) as they used to. With an abundance of goods and many types of ready-made food, the custom of slaughtering a pig together during Tet has gradually faded in many places. However, in rural areas, many families still maintain this custom to ensure they can eat clean pork and enjoy the festive atmosphere of Tet. Slaughtering a pig together is not just a rural practice during times of economic hardship and food scarcity; it is also a cultural tradition for people in both rural and urban areas, fostering unity among neighbors and looking forward to a prosperous and happy new year.

Mai Chi

Source