Amidst the characteristic chill of the days leading up to Tet in the North, the image of a girl from the Mekong Delta clumsily learning to wrap banh chung in the space of her husband's family makes the spring atmosphere even warmer.
In the days leading up to Tet, Ms. Do Thi Yen Phuong (from An Giang) is present in Hanoi to prepare for the New Year with her husband's family. For the first time celebrating Tet away from home, she celebrates the New Year according to Northern customs - where there is a pot of red-hot banh chung, pink peach branches and a chill.
If in her hometown, Tet is associated with banh tet, a pot of braised pork with coconut water and the brilliant yellow apricot blossoms, then at her husband's house, Tet starts from going to the market to buy dong leaves, green beans, pork belly and bamboo strings to tie banh chung. Especially, this is the first time she has directly sat to wrap banh chung with her extended family.
When my mother-in-law told me to try wrapping banh chung this year, I was both excited and worried. In the Mekong Delta, I am only used to helping wrap banh tet with banana leaves, but wrapping banh chung with dong leaves like this I have never done before," Ms. Phuong shared with a smile.
On the morning of the 29th of Tet, the ingredients are fully prepared: washed and dried dong leaves; dried sticky rice; peeled green beans; richly marinated pork belly. The family said that although banh chung is available on the market, for many years the family has still wrapped it themselves so that members can participate in preparing for Tet.
In that cake wrapping space, the father-in-law meticulously guided his daughter-in-law on how to stack leaves, measure rice, divide filling evenly and fold the cake tightly. The aunts also sat in circles, some wiped leaves, some measured rice, some folded molds. In the middle, the daughter-in-law was still confused with the large leaves, her clumsy hands tried to keep the cake square.
Ms. Do Thi Nga (Ms. Phuong's aunt-in-law, from Hanoi) smiled gently: "Wrapping banh chung must be firm, but also soft-handed, my dear," While saying, she held her daughter-in-law's hand, instructed how to arrange two layers of leaves so that the back of the leaf is in the right direction, and then gently rubbed the corners with her fingers to create squares.
Ms. Do Thi Thom (Ms. Phuong's aunt-in-law, from Hanoi) also meticulously adjusted the bamboo strips, tying each ring tightly without tearing the leaves.
The atmosphere is bustling with Tet stories mixed with laughter. The aunts recounted memories of welcoming spring in the old days, when the whole family gathered by the fire all night. The niece listened, occasionally shyly asking back each step. The initial movements were still clumsy, the cake was not really square, but everyone in the family encouraged. Every time the cake was a bit off-center, the aunts gently corrected it, without blaming, but only encouraged and motivated: "This is the first time, it's very skillful".
At about 10 am, the cakes are placed in a large pot, filled with water and cooked continuously for many hours. Everyone takes turns watching the stove, adding more water to make the cakes cook evenly.
Personally wrapping banh chung helps me better understand how my husband's family prepares for Tet. For me, this is not only a new experience but also a way to participate more fully in the family's New Year preparation atmosphere," Ms. Yen Phuong shared.
In addition to learning to wrap cakes, Ms. Phuong also gets used to the Tet preparation rhythm in the North: cleaning the ancestral altar, arranging a five-fruit tray, planting peach branches and decorating the house. The chill makes the girl from the Mekong Delta somewhat unfamiliar, but the warmth of her husband's family helps her quickly integrate.
Sometimes I also miss home, miss the bustling Tet atmosphere in the Mekong Delta. But when my whole family gathers around a pot of red-hot banh chung, I feel like I truly belong to this place," Ms. Phuong confided.
On the afternoon of the 29th of Tet, when the pot of banh chung boiled loudly in the yard, the whole family sat together with a hot tea pot, telling stories of the past year. The first banh chung wrapped by Ms. Yen Phuong herself, although not really square, was still placed solemnly on the New Year's Eve offering tray.
The first Tet as a daughter-in-law away from home, for Ms. Yen Phuong, is not only experiencing new customs but also a journey to learn how to love and preserve family traditions. In the chilly Hanoi weather, the warmth from the small kitchen and the sincere reception of her husband's family have dispelled the nostalgia for the Mekong Delta, so that spring truly begins from simple things, reunion.
