According to the saying “A year’s worth of rituals is not as important as the full moon of the first lunar month,” many families have been visiting markets very early this year to purchase offerings for their ancestors.
This morning in Hanoi, light rain and cold weather affected traffic and daily life in the capital city.
At Hang Be market and Gia Ngư street (Hoan Kiem district), people have been bustling since early morning to buy various items needed for the full moon festival offerings. With a wide range of products like boiled chickens, sticky rice, glutinous rice cakes, and meat rolls, this area remains a popular destination for Hanoians during festivals and Tet celebrations.
As usual, the “boiled chicken with rosebud” has become a signature product at Hang Be market. From 2 AM, many shops turn on their lights to prepare and decorate the chickens for customers.
At Hang Be market, some businesses offer ready-made altar sets with traditional dishes such as boiled chicken, bamboo shoot soup, red sticky rice, and spring rolls.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Quy (on the right) is busy loading bags of offerings onto her vehicle to deliver to customers. Ms. Quy mentioned that these altar sets are pre-ordered from her shop, each set costing around 1 million VND.
Ms. Lam Le Thanh (Nguyen Luong Bang, Dong Da) arrived at traditional markets early in the morning to buy offerings for the full moon festival. She stated that she often visits Hang Be market because she trusts the quality there. Prices this time are similar to previous occasions.
Busy preparing from 2 AM with tasks like cleaning chickens, boiling them, decorating, and transporting, Mr. Duy Linh (employee of a business on Hang Be street) noted that during festivals and Tet, demand increases significantly. On regular days, about 20 orders are placed, but during holidays, it can increase tenfold.
Mr. Linh typically delivers between 30-50 orders per day during festivals.
In addition to boiled chickens and sticky rice, decorative items and traditional dishes like fish soup also attract many customers.
At other markets like Dong Xuan and Bac Qua, many products for the full moon festival offerings are also available.
Late blooming peach branches are sold at various prices, with small branches costing around 40,000-50,000 VND.
During the beginning of the year, pomelo flowers are popular choices for home altars. Prices for pomelo flowers are around 30,000-40,000 VND per catty.
Betel leaves and areca nuts are essential in every festival and Tet celebration. Areca nuts cost 15,000 VND each, while a betel leaf with a phoenix wing pattern costs 5,000 VND.
