For many Vietnamese, the Tết (Lunar New Year) festival begins with a Kitchen God ceremony on the 23rd of Lunar December. In these final months, kilns in Địa Linh village, central of Hue province is burning and very busy. Therefore, the latest batches of Vietnamese Kitchen God’s statue can be baked before the end of the year. Let’s follow a day trip from Hue with us to discover the on this special occasion.
What is the Kitchen God?
According to the belief, this Lord is the spirit of the Kitchen. They believed to keep the kitchen fire burning and bless the family with happiness and wellbeing throughout the year. Legend has it that the lady accidentally met her ex-husband and rusted to hide the man in a bundle of hay. When her husband returned, he lit the fire to cook rice and the bundle of hay nearby caught fire. The lady jumped into the fire to save the ex-husband, and then the current husband did the same to rescue her. As a result, all three were burned in the fire. Hearing about their faithful love, the Jade Emperor permitted the three of them to live together as the Kitchen God to enjoy the blessings. A day trip in Hue allows you a special chance to meet a local story-teller than a guide.
The custom of worshipping Ông Công Ông Táo (Land Genie and Kitchen God)
Traditionally, every year on the 23rd of Lunar December, the Kitchen God rode a red carp to heaven. He delivers the annual report on the family’s activities to the Jade Emperor. To give thanks to this protector and ensure luck for the New Year, Vietnamese hold a ceremony to see them off. We offer the Kitchen God a meal, clean his shine, and replace his statue. The worshipping rituals differ from region to region. However, the indispensable offerings for the ritual are three votive paper hats, incenses, flowers, fruits, areca nut, and a carp on which the Kitchen God can ride to Heaven.
Follow a day trip from Hue to discover how to make clay Kitchen God statues
Địa Linh village belongs to Hương Trà district, Thừa Thiên Huế province is said to be the Kitchen God birthplace. It is also the only place in Vietnam that continues this traditional craft. To prepare all the statues by Tết, the craftsmen have to buy clay by August. Next, they start to create the shape and dry the clay statues under the sun or by coal heat. Once the statues have been dried, they are placed in a huge kiln that can fit up to 2,000 statues at a time. It normally takes two days to fire the statues and two days to fully cool them. After this, they paint and glitter to the statues for ready to the market. During a day trip from Hue on these days, you will understand the hard-working of this craft. However, the artisans regard it as a heritage and try to preserve it until nowadays.
The custom of worshipping Kitchen God has a humanist value, reflecting the family happiness. The fire in the kitchen manifests not only the cozy family union but also the maintaining culture of Vietnamese. On this occasion, let contact us at www.slowtravelhue.com to set up a day trip from Hue and discover this special culture.
