Be a daughter-in-law of the homeland

They met when they were in college, Minh unexpectedly fell in love and married Thanh, a boy from her homeland - Phu Tho. After a while of dating, Thanh invited her to visit his hometown.

The first time he set foot in Phu Tho, Minh was amazed by the ancient beauty of the countryside of palm hills and tea forests. His hometown was beautiful and peaceful. The village roads meandered, the green palm trees swayed in the wind and the houses were quiet as if they had been there for generations.

She was born and raised in Hai Duong, the homeland of lychees. Her hometown also has traditional festivals and ancestral death anniversaries, but when she became a daughter-in-law in the land of her ancestors, she realized things that cannot be understood by just hearing about them.

The day she followed her husband home to meet his family, his grandmother, with her silver hair, chewing betel nut and a gentle smile, said:

- The Ancestral Land is not only the homeland but also the origin of the whole nation. On the Ancestral Death Anniversary, no matter how far away, everyone will find a way to return. If you marry a man here, you will also become a person of the Ancestral Land. You must learn to wrap Chung cake and make Day cake soon.

Minh did not fully understand what she said that year. But when she officially became a daughter-in-law, she realized that Hung King's death anniversary was not simply a family anniversary but an important day, a national death anniversary, sacred to the entire nation.

The first year of marriage was also the first year Minh had to prepare for the Ancestor's Death Anniversary. She was awkwardly surrounded by a large family. Phu Tho people still maintain the extended family lifestyle. Even though their children work far away, they always turn to their homeland.

The first time she participated in preparing the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, she was so clumsy that she cut the ham unevenly and dropped an antique plate while carrying the tray. The whole family stopped to look at her. Minh blushed, worried that she would be scolded. At that moment, she felt so clumsy that she was about to cry, but luckily her mother-in-law quickly came over to help her clean up the tray and gently said:

- It's okay, every new bride is confused. The important thing is to have a good heart.

That sentence made Minh feel relieved.

The atmosphere of March 10th in this sacred land is bustling. Early in the morning, the whole family is busy preparing offerings. In particular, banh chung and banh giay are two indispensable things. In Hai Duong, banh chung is a familiar dish on Tet holiday, but here it has a more sacred meaning. Each woman in the family carefully wraps the cakes, ties them with string, while the men take care of lighting the fire and boiling the cakes. Coming here, Minh can see the sacredness of the ritual of wrapping banh chung and making banh giay.

- Wrapping banh chung is not just wrapping cakes but also wrapping respect for ancestors, the husband's grandmother said when she saw Minh still fumbling.

In the afternoon, the whole family went to Hung Temple to burn incense. Crowds of people poured in. Minh held her husband’s hand, weaving through the crowd, feeling an unprecedented sacred atmosphere. Standing in front of Hung King’s tomb, listening to the sound of drums, she suddenly realized that she had become a part of this sacred land.

She also did not regret marrying a shy but studious and thoughtful man from the land of her ancestors. The day Minh agreed to love and marry Thanh, her parents were worried that she would have difficulty adapting to life in a faraway place. Thanh was the eldest child, and would later be the one in charge of worshipping and taking care of the whole family. Was she sad and could she adapt in that remote midland? But the love and understanding of her husband and his family helped her adapt quickly. Her parents were also reassured that now transportation was convenient, not as difficult as before. Their daughter was also cheerful, radiant and happy with her small family. She had truly become a child of the land of her ancestors.

In the following years, Minh gradually got used to the lifestyle of her husband's family. She was no longer clumsy when wrapping cakes, no longer shy when preparing the feast. Now, she could guide the children in her family on how to arrange the offerings. She could also retell the story of Lang Lieu with pride like a true Phu Tho native.

Many times she asked her husband:

- Do you think I fit in here?

Thanh smiled:

- Of course! You are now a child of the homeland, everyone loves you.

On the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month this year, when the whole family gathered around the table, Minh suddenly realized one thing, she was no longer the new bride of the past. She had become an indispensable part of the family, of this land. She lit an incense stick, silently praying that she and her husband would preserve these values ​​for the next generation. The Ancestor's Death Anniversary has become a day of reunion, love, and connection for many families. For Minh, it was also a day she was proud because she had truly become a child of the Ancestor's land.