Village Life

Shaman

It just so happens that I'm here during the rice festival, at least in my village. It occurs after the harvest, but before the next planting. Here's how it works. One family cooks a big meal and invites many villagers to join them for dinner. According to local legend, the more people who attend, the greater the following rice harvest will be. The next day, another family does the same thing, so I suspect its just a good excuse to party. The shaman prays to his ancestors for a bountiful crop. Eating commences, followed by much drinking of rice wine. Toasts are made for the silliest of reasons. 

The sources of protein were carp (yeah), chicken, and snails. There were some vegetables, including sticky rice, and several things I could not identify. Neither could the locals. The fish was great, but they simply cut up the chicken in random fashion, so I could not tell what I was eating. At first, I thought it was an internal organ, but then I realized it contained a bone.  How stupid of me!  If it weren't for some guacamole-looking leaf paste, I wouldn't have been able to get down river snails. About half-way into the meal, they gave me a piece of paper, torn from a school book. I thought it was something special until they said it was just a napkin. I laughed while wiping hands.

 

It was an interesting experience, and one that I won't forget any time soon. Many people actually live close to the earth, something that most Westerners cannot relate to. All the food and customs were authentic. People were eating and drinking, shaking hands and laughing, seemingly without a care in the world. I just showed up at this person's house, totally unannounced, yet I was welcomed like one of the family. Tonight I found something in Vietnam that we lost in the US many decades ago.

Happy

Napkin