Bustling market serving “Send off the Land Genie and the Kitchen God back to heaven”

​These days, people’s need to buy items to "send Mr. Tao to heaven" is increasing. At traditional markets and shops selling holiday items in the province, many holiday items are carefully and carefully prepared, with diverse types and reasonable prices.

The Land Genie and the Kitchen God’s holiday takes place on December 23 and is usually carried out before 12 noon with the hope that the Kitchen Gods will bless people for a prosperous and lucky new year. However, this year, the holiday takes place on Friday, so right from the beginning of the week, many people have prepared gifts and offerings to send off the Kitchen Gods earlier.

​ Carp is the only “means” to take Kitchen God to heaven, so on this day, families offer red carp. Grasping the needs of the market, at Minh Phuong market, many traditional fish merchants have added red carp to serve customers and earn more income.

Surveying the price of red carp this year, many traders said: This year’s fish price has not increased and is even “softer” than in previous years due to quite abundant supply. This year, small fish cost from 8,000 - 20,000 VND/fish, big fish from 30,000 - 40,000 VND/fish. However, the number of customers buying large sized fish is not many. Along with not increasing prices, traders also guide customers to choose fish that are fresh in color, swim well, and have unspotted backs to ensure both aesthetics and good “health” so that the fish can live until the time of release.

In recent years, in addition to traditional red carp, other types of carp shaped with sticky rice, jelly, and cake flour during Tet of the Land Genie and the Kitchen God have also been popular because of their practicality and beauty. Right from mid-December, these types of carp begin to bustle on social networks for customers to refer to and book early. Ms. Nguyen Thi My Hanh - Owner of Che Hanh shop, Chau Phong street, Gia Cam ward, Viet Tri city said: This year is Friday, the shop accepts offerings to worship Mr The Land Genie and the Kitchen God from food with the Gods. Carp floating cakes, carp jelly cakes, carp dumplings... Carp products are handmade, molded in many beautiful colors with prices ranging from 60,000 - 100,000 VND/set/three pieces. On the morning of December 23 this year alone, the store had nearly 100 customers ordering carp dumplings for offerings. Many customers have ordered additional home delivery services to ensure time for the ceremony.

The ceremony of worshiping the Land Genie and the Kitchen God is a traditional cultural ritual of Vietnamese people that has passed through many generations and still retains its unique traditional features with the desire to say goodbye to all the hardships and troubles of the old year, ready to enter a new year with all the good things.

Ha Nhung