Mr. Minh's family is rebuilding the pigsty. Because of the concept that building and repairing is a major matter, everyone still maintains the habit of looking at the date, waiting for the "good day and good month" to tile the roof with the desire for smooth work.
Ironically, on the appointed day, the weather turned bad. It was raining, the wind was strong, and the tiled roof was slipperier than usual. Despite realizing the danger, everyone still tried to do it because they thought that if they had chosen a date, they should not postpone it.
While working at height, Mr. Minh's father slipped, fell down and broke his arm, and had to be hospitalized for treatment.
Looking at my father lying there, I kept thinking. If only that day the family had stopped, waited for the weather to dry out and then did it, perhaps the accident would not have happened," Mr. Minh said.
As a Dao person living in Mau Son, Mr. Minh said that in the community, there have long been many beliefs about good and bad days and days to abstain from.
According to him, there are months when the abstinence schedule is so thick that building a house, repairing a barn, going far away or starting a new job all have to look at the date carefully.
Many times, when the weather is sunny and beautiful, the weather is favorable, it falls into a taboo day, so people do not do it. When the taboo day passes, even when it is rainy and windy, the road is slippery, many families still try to do it because they believe it is a good day.
Mr. Minh believes that customs are a part of the cultural identity of each nation and need to be respected. However, concepts directly related to health, life and labor safety also need to be viewed with reason.
In the past, grandparents did not have phones, did not see weather forecasts, and had little knowledge about labor safety. But now, we can know in advance whether it will rain or shine, whether there will be strong winds or not. If we still ignore the clear warnings just because of a chosen day, it would be very regrettable," he said.
After his father's accident, Mr. Minh believed even more that the most important thing was not a number on the calendar.
For me, a good day is a day when the sky clears up. A good day is a day when the weather is favorable. A good day is a day when everyone works safely and returns home safely," he shared.
He hopes that each family will continue to preserve traditional beauty, but also boldly abandon outdated customs that are no longer appropriate. Belief should help people live better, and cannot become a reason to ignore reality and immediate dangers.
