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| For the Dao Tien people of Ban Bung village, Thai Nguyen province, the full moon day of the seventh lunar month holds a significant meaning of unity. |
From the beginning of the seventh lunar month, ethnic minority communities in many localities are busy preparing to celebrate the full moon. For the Dao Tien people, the full moon of the seventh lunar month is also considered a New Year's festival.
In Bản Bung, before the full moon, the yards of families are covered with strings of banana leaves drying in the sun. The elders in the village recall that in the past, to prepare for the full moon of the seventh lunar month, people had to start working a month in advance.
When the harvest season ends, the men in the village go to the forest to gather firewood, while the mothers and sisters collect banana leaves and dry them in time for making the cakes.
By the 13th of the 7th lunar month, preparations must be complete, because from the 14th onwards, relatives will begin celebrating the full moon festival, so that on the 15th they can visit their maternal grandparents' home.
From the afternoon of July 13th, every household started wrapping rice cakes and making soaked rice noodles. Besides familiar types of cakes like mugwort leaf cakes, banana root cakes, and thorn cakes, sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng) are an indispensable part of the full moon festival in this area.
On the 14th, small families gather at the ancestral shrine to celebrate the full moon. Unlike many places, people here don't eat duck meat but instead eat rooster meat and fish noodle soup.
Fish caught in the stream the previous afternoon are grilled over charcoal early the next morning, then finely chopped, stir-fried with spices until fragrant, and used as a filling for rice noodles served with chicken broth. This is a special dish that the Dao Tien people eagerly await on the full moon of the seventh lunar month every year.
On the 15th, families begin their journey to the maternal grandparents' home early in the morning. The Dao people believe that the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is the most important occasion of the year for married daughters to return to visit their parents, show filial piety, and strengthen family bonds.
This is a time of leisure after the harvest, when daughters can stay at their parents' home longer, spending time with them, sharing stories about their work and lives.
The essential items to bring back to my mother's house are a fat rooster, a pair of sticky rice cakes, and a pair of banana cakes. In addition, the daughter will bring back a piece of indigo-dyed cloth as a gift for her mother.
It was a special gift; the indigo color symbolized longevity, and the fabric, woven and dyed by the daughter's own hands, was filled with love and gratitude for her parents.
For married women, the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is the occasion to return to visit their parents and stay the longest in the year, so the preparations are always thorough and full of excitement.
Upon arrival, the son-in-law will slaughter a chicken and set up an offering to the ancestors, announcing that he, his wife, and their children have returned home for a visit, wishing for peace, good health, and prosperity in their business.
Ms. Trieu Thi Huyen, a resident of Ban Bung village, shared: "That was many years ago. Now life is more prosperous, and we no longer have to prepare everything ourselves."
However, the villagers still preserve many old customs, the only difference being that gifts, instead of indigo-dyed cloth, are now more practical items such as clothes and household goods.
For the Dao Tien people, the 15th day of the 7th lunar month is not only an occasion for family reunions and expressing filial piety to ancestors, but also a way for the community to preserve customs and cultivate identity amidst the modern world.
From family meals to gift-giving customs, from sticky rice cakes to fish noodle soup, everything embodies the meaning of connection, ensuring that with each passing full moon season, the Dao Tien culture continues to flourish and shine.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/y-nghia-sau-sac-ve-ram-thang-7-o-ban-bung-tinh-thai-nguyen-326852.html
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