Thai people residing in Mai Chau valley still maintain their
unique custom that there must be a fish dish in food offerings in important
celebrations. However, not everyone knows the custom’s origin. Guided by local
elderly, we arrived at the house of Mr. Kha Tien in Nghe village, Van Mai
commune. The elderly man, who has spent many years studying Thai people’s
culture, told us a meaningful story of maternal love related to the custom of
Thai people.
Legend has it that a family had two daughters, with the elder
sister marrying into a poor family, while the younger one was better off.
Traditions of the Thai and some other ethnic minority groups in
the northwest region required that food offerings for new rice ceremony and
ritual for relieving bad luck, must included as many "heads of animals” as
possible (in some places, it must be seven chicken heads and three pig heads –
reporter’s note). One year, before the new rice ceremony, the elder sister and
her husband discussed what animal they should use for the offerings, as they
only had a hen and a brood of chicks. Thinking for a while, the couple decided
to cook the hen.
In her sleep that night, the elder sister had a dream, in which the
hen told her chicks that tomorrow the owner would slaughter her as an offering
to ancestors, then she would no longer be able to raise her chicks though she
really wants to. Thus, the mother told her chicks to take care of each other.
The elder sister deeply thought about the dream. As a mother
herself, she understood and sympathised with a mother’s pain when parting with
her children. The next morning, she told her husband that what is important in
worshipping ancestors is the real emotion of heart and suggested that they
should catch something in the stream and cook that for the ancestors.
The couple caught fish in the stream and cooked different dishes
to offer in the ritual. Many local families followed their example from then
on. Fish dishes gradually became an inevitable part of food offerings of Thai
people in Mai Chau.
Elderly
Thai women show their children how to cook traditional fish dishes.
Since then, fish dishes hold a significant meaning in new rice
celebration and lunar new year holiday. Thai people do not cook chicken for
their food offerings. The suitable types of fish are kyphosus vaigiensis,
anabas, squaliobarbus curriculus and carp, among other. However, one must take
notice that fish without scales like catfish, cranoglanis and loach are not used
as food offerings./.
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