Before BEGINNING to WORK – Section 1
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HUNG NGUYEN MANH1
The Rite to Begin WRITING
H. OGER leaves us a first poem written on New Year’s Day (Fig.1). The column on the right reads:
“The pen blossoms when writing for the first time on New Year
Everything will become much wealth and nobility”
The column on the left reads :
“Many children, many grandchildren, much wealth and nobility.
Many riches, much wealth, .much glory will be obtained”
The column in the middle reads:
“The first month of the third year of Duy Tân1
The sixth day inspiration makes the divine pen to write”
The teachers, scholars, mandarins who don’t touch the earth but only touch the paper and pen have to choose a propitious day to write. They use flowered or red paper and write the first line in the year with much care as mentioned above.
Before achieving the aforesaid work, one must weigh the pros and cons of the matter and must pay attention to choose the good day to select the favourable hour, to respectfully light joss sticks and to pray before one ancestors’ altar on which fragrant aquilaria must be burned. These first sentences or verses are usually an improvised poem, a selfdepicting poem or a pair of parallel sentences. Once written, the writer would declaim the poem for himself to appreciate before putting it away inside his casket awaiting for some literary guests to come, when he will take it out and declaim for them while drinking a cup of Spring tea. As for the Confucian students, their studies also involve the use of a pen brush, thus, they must also consult the calendar, choose the propitious hour to write their first words in the new year just like the Confucian teachers, so as to pray for progress in their studies and success in their examinations to make up for their bending their mind to study.
The Rite to begin USING SEAL
Before beginning to use a seal, let us read a passage describing it by midseventeenth century:
“When Tết festival comes, the King and Lord order the people to look at the calendar in which Tết holidays are clearly set. The holiday begins from the twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth of the twelfth month and may last to the tenth or fifteenth of the first month. If there is a war, this must be halted for Tết. Since the twenty-fifth of the twelfth month, the seals of the King and Lord and mandarins are cleaned and kept in boxes. Weapons are also cleaned and put in a set place”2.
The mandarins with a seal, from district head upward, put it in a box before Tết and chose a propitious day on the new year to begin using it. The rite to begin using seals may be held early on the second or third day of the first month although it is not yet a working day to prevent an urgent work or an unpropitious day. Canton and village heads also have to hold a ceremony to begin using seals. For his own part, the village chief, after holding the ceremony of opening his seal, he would use it to seal the first administrative document in the new year, usually the chosen document is a favourable one. Formerly, people had the custom of lighting joss sticks to worship and pray to the genie in charge of keeping the seal before holding the ceremony of seal opening.
The public crier also has a Rite to begin USING his RATTLE
The public crier
In the past, every village has a public crier. H. OGER shows us the image of this personage (Fig.1) entitled “a village public crier”.
The public crier’s work is to invite village officials for a meeting at the communal house. Should the village want to inform the people about something he must go everywhere and tell them while beating a rattle.
The public crier lives by the service he renders to the village on the occasion of ceremonies. Even a poor man having to do with him will give him a meal from leftover.
However, under Lê Thánh Tông’s eyes the public crier holds the highest authority:
“Old and young listen to his order,
Every villager abides by it,
Power is distributed from .top to bottom.
Freely he sits alone on a mat.”
The public Crier’s Announcement
A personage at the lowest rung of the village apparatus and the meanest person in the village, the public crier also has to choose a day to begin his village affairs. According to custom, some places choose a propitious day – as in the case of using seals – while others set the date on the seventh of the first month.
On that day, villagers gather to enjoy entertainments from one day to three days depending on each village.
The public crier with a rattle in hand steps to the centre of the yard of the communal house, bows two times, strikes his rattle three times, then loudly announces:
Officials
Villagers,
In the new year, the harvest will be good, every trade will thrive, everybody will be in comfort.
Happiness and wealth will prevail,
Harmony will reign.
In all families, old folk will live long young folk will study hard,girls will have many suitors, peasants will get much paddy, officials will be promoted, money will multiply,
New houses will be built,
Let high-ranking men, select as they please.
Leaving the remainder to the public crier
Cốc ! Cốc ! Cốc !
… continue in section 2 …
NOTES:
1 Associate Professor HUNG NGUYEN MANH, Doctor of Phylosophy in History.
2 According to Confucius’ Spring and Autumn ANNALS annotated by TẢ THỊ “Xuân Vương chính nguyệt” (Lunar king of Spring) refers to the springtime in the reign of a Chinese King.
3 According to BENTO THIỆN, Ibid, 1659.
BAN TU THU
01 /2020
NOTE:
◊ Source: Vietnamese Lunar New Year – Major Festival – Asso. Prof. HUNG NGUYEN MANH, Doctor of Phylosophy in History.
◊ Bold text and sepia images has been set by Ban Tu Thu – thanhdiavietnamhoc.com
SEE ALSO:
◊ From Sketches in early 20th century to traditional rituals and festival.
◊ Signification of the term “Tết”
◊ Lunar New Year Festival
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for KITCHEN and CAKES
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for MARKETING – Section 1
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for MARKETING – Section 2
◊ Concerns of PROVIDENT PEOPLE – Concerns for Dept payment
◊ In SOUTHERN PART of the COUNTRY: a HOST of PARALLEL CONCERNS
◊ The tray of Five fruits
◊ The Arrival of New Year
◊ SPRING SCROLLS – Section 1
◊ The Cult of The Deities of the Kitchen – Section 1
◊ The Cult of The Deities of the Kitchen – Section 2
◊ The Cult of The Deities of the Kitchen – Section 3
◊ Waiting for the NEW YEAR – Section 1
◊ Paying the last honours to CÔ KÍ” (The clerk’s wife) on the second Day of TẾT
◊ Before BEGINNING to WORK – Section 2
◊ Vietnam Lunar New Year – vi-VersiGoo
◊ etc.