New Rice Wrapped in Ginger Leaves - Fragrant Taste of Binh Lieu Mountain Forest

As the Northeast monsoon gusts sweep into the mountainous region, the celebration of new rice among the Tày people of Bình Liêu bursts into joyous festivity. On this auspicious day, the indispensable dish is the new rice wrapped in ginger leaves, a symbol of abundance.

New Rice Wrapped in Ginger Leaves - Fragrant Taste of Binh Lieu Mountain Forest

It has become a tradition that every year, around the end of October in the Gregorian calendar, when the fields of Bình Liêu are ripe with golden grains, it is also the time when people are busy with harvesting, preparing for the celebration of new rice.

During this occasion, households in Bình Liêu are bustling with preparations for the festival, as a gesture of gratitude to their ancestors. In smaller households, there may be a pot of small rice, a chicken; in larger households, there would be a big pot of rice along with dishes made from homegrown produce, inviting relatives and neighbors to join in the festivities.

The ceremonial feast offered to the deities and ancestors during the celebration of new rice includes not only new rice wrapped in ginger leaves but also bamboo shoots, chicken, pork, carp, rice cakes, and vermicelli… These simple dishes, though humble, are the result of much dedication in nurturing and cultivating throughout the year, reserved for this festive season.

Celebration of New Rice - Known as 'Kin khẩu mấư' in the Tày language, it is a significant agricultural ritual of the Tày people, a time for reporting to the heavens and ancestors about a year of labor and production, and praying for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and the well-being of every home.

After the ceremonial offerings, people gather to chat and enjoy the specialty dish of new rice wrapped in ginger leaves, meticulously prepared sticky rice. The finest glutinous rice grains of the season are soaked overnight and then placed in a special wooden container of the Tày people, producing sticky yet non-sticky rice.

From early morning, lush green ginger leaves, still dewy, are harvested by Tày women, cleaned, and drained. The Tày people believe that green symbolizes freshness, prosperity, and abundance.

Ginger leaves are finely ground to extract the essence. The cooked sticky rice is carefully placed on a banana leaf-lined plate to cool. The steaming pot of rice emits fragrant smoke, enticing tourists in the chilly Northeastern weather.

After the rice has cooled slightly, it is mixed with the ginger leaf essence to create a visually appealing green color and a distinctive aroma. The green hue of new rice wrapped in ginger leaves symbolizes the mountains, fertile fields, conveying the people's aspirations for bountiful harvests and a warm, abundant, and fulfilling life.

The fragrant, sticky new rice harmonizes with the warm, intense flavor of ginger leaves, creating a balanced dish. As one of the few traditional rituals that have been preserved intact to this day, the feast of new rice wrapped in ginger leaves has become a distinctive image of the Tày people in the Bình Liêu forest mountain region.

According to Mytour

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Reference: Travel guide by Mytour