15 years of maintaining the habit of making vegetarian feasts
Every Mid-July Festival, Ms. Hoang Hanh Thuy (Hanoi) is busy preparing a vegetarian feast to offer to her ancestors' altar.
For nearly 15 years, the full moon of July has become an occasion for Ms. Thuy to spend more time on the kitchen and worship space of her family. She personally prepares a vegetarian meal, arranges the altar, and then chants sutras and chants Buddha's name according to the habit that has been maintained for many years.
According to Ms. Thuy, the full moon of July, the Vu Lan season, is the time for everyone to look towards their parents, grandparents and loved ones in the family. Simple actions on this day also help family members have more time to look back and appreciate family values.
On the full moon day of July, I want to do light, non-killing things to commemorate ancestors. I choose to make a vegetarian feast also because I want to maintain a peaceful and gentle atmosphere in the family. When preparing everything myself, I feel my mind is comfortable and peaceful," Ms. Thuy shared.
Ms. Thuy's family has maintained vegetarianism on the full moon of July for about 14 - 15 years now. She also does not burn votive paper but spends time cleaning, arranging the altar, preparing a meal tray and then chanting sutras and chanting Buddha's name to reminisce for ancestors.
For her, the most important thing is not whether the feast has many or few dishes, but the meticulousness and sincerity of the preparer.
Simple feast becomes family tradition
Ms. Thuy's family's vegetarian feast does not have a fixed menu. Depending on the year, she chooses vegetables, fruits and suitable ingredients to prepare into different dishes, both beautiful and enough for the whole family.
According to her sharing, she usually buys ingredients from the previous day, prepares some parts in advance and then starts cooking early the next morning. She will buy time-consuming dishes such as vegetarian sausage; and vegetables, stir-fried dishes, boiled dishes, soups,... are mainly made by her own hands.
I'm used to doing it, so I wake up very quickly in the morning. I combine this task with that task, while waiting for this dish to cook, I take advantage of making another dish, so it's not too hard," Ms. Thuy recounted.
After completion, the dishes are neatly arranged on the altar. Not fussy in form, the feast is still carefully prepared to have harmonious colors, creating a light and solemn feeling.
After many years, eating vegetarian food on the full moon of July has become a habit in Ms. Thuy's family. Everyone gathers around the meal tray, enjoying light vegetarian dishes and chatting happily.
“Members are also used to eating with the family. On this day, everyone eats together, chats together, very happily, no one questions anything,” Ms. Thuy shared.
For Ms. Thuy, what remains after each feast is not the sophistication of the dish but the feeling of peace when she personally takes care of her family, remembers her ancestors and maintains a lifestyle that has been attached for many years.
