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The Legend of Banh Chung and Banh Day

In his old age, King Hung Vuong the Sixth, a mighty and brave warrior, decided one day to choose a successor. He thought to himself, “It won’t be easy to choose amongst my twenty-two sons. I must be very careful in choosing the one who will rule after me.”

The king was right. Just like their father, the princes were strong warriors, wise ambassadors, and ambitious adventurers. However, Prince Tiet Lieu, the eighteenth son, was not interested in hunting or in practicing martial arts like his brothers. Instead, he spent his time reading books and taking walks in the imperial court. The bonsai garden was the prince’s favorite spot, and he could spend hours and hours pruning the miniature plants. One day, he asked the king to allow him to move with his wife and children to his mother’s old village, where he could live the simple, humble life that suited him.

Toward the end of the year everyone began preparing traditional dishes to celebrate Tet. The royal court planned several ritual ceremonies to pay homage to the ancestors. Suddenly the king had an idea for discovering who would be worthiest of the throne. He summoned all the princes and announced, “In three days, whoever brings the best dish to offer our ancestors for the New Year will be my successor.”

The princes set out in the quest for rare and exotic foods. The oldest prince climbed up to the top of the mountain and navigated through dark caves to harvest the swallows’ nests. Some of the other princes went deep into the jungle for rare mushrooms and herbs, or deep down into the sea to seek out abalone and choice seafood from amongst the reef beds. Others sought advice for the best recipes.

On his way home, Prince Tiet Lieu felt sad because he couldn’t travel far like his brothers. As he walked along the rice fields, the fresh and relaxing aroma of the rice and the heartfelt laughter of the farmers lessened his grief. Suddenly a thought came to him. “Rice! This precious grain feeds us all, from the richest of us to the poorest. My dish should be prepared from this!” And the prince rushed back home, full of excitement.

That night, as he slept, the prince dreamt of a fairy who showed him how to prepare the wonderful dish to offer to the ancestors. “You don’t need to go far—use your own hands, mind and heart, and food harvested from your own lands to make rice cakes. You will rule the kingdom peacefully and gloriously,” the fairy said.

“Thank you!" the prince cried. “I will never forget your great advice and kindness.”

At dawn, the prince was awakened by the rooster’s crowing. Quickly he woke his wife and shared his dream. Together they went outside, looked up at the open sky, and thanked the fairy for her blessings. “We don’t have much time!” said the prince. “Let’s make square and round rice cakes to offer to our ancestors.”

While his wife ground the sweet rice and prepared the meat, the prince went to the field and cut dong leaves to use as cake wrappers. Their children washed and soaked the mung beans. After long hours of cooking, the whole family was happy to have beautiful cakes. They called them Banh Chung and Banh Day.

On New Year’s Eve, all the princes rushed back to the kingdom with exquisite and rare dishes. The king eagerly tasted every single dish and learned its meaning. Nothing tasted good to him. Then he noticed the square green and round white cakes from Prince Tiet Lieu, which he had never before seen or tasted, at the far end of the table.

“How did you come up with this dish?” asked the king.

The prince told the King about his dream and explained, “The green dong leaves and bamboo strings wrapping the cakes represent the protection and safety of family and home. The yellow mung beans and marinated meat stuffing represent the animals and plants on the Earth and the food they provide for all. The square Banh Chung is our mother the Earth, and the round white Banh Day is the Heaven Sky.”

The king tasted both cakes and found them delicious, savory, and meaningful. And so, greatly contented, he joyfully proclaimed Prince Tiet Lieu successor to the throne, and he declared that, from that day on, the Banh Chung and Banh Day would be the traditional food offered to the ancestors during Tet.