Friday just gone was 'sexy cakes day', an official date on the lunar calendar celebrating food. On the third day of the third lunar month each year, these balls are rolled, dunked and popped in cakeholes across the capital. There should be a holiday, nicely aligned with the weekend this year, it would've been!
To mark the occasion, my landlord kindly delivered a plateload which I accepted and despatched with haste. Like ping pong balls down the throat of a laughing clown!
I wonder if there are any other lunar days in the Vietnamese calendar with links to certain specialities or ingredients?
Is that why they were all over the office on Friday? I was happily part taking, but had no idea it was a special day. Any chance you know what they are celebrating on the third day of the third lunar month?
Posted by: Uggclogs.wordpress.com | 19 April 2010 at 09:15 AM
UC - I did a bit of 'research' last time: http://stickyrice.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/04/hey_there_sexy_.html
So how many did you eat?
Posted by: Sticky | 19 April 2010 at 09:52 AM
yes there is, on the fifth day of the fifth month is the "worm killing day", where you will find fermented sticky rice and the little plums (which are in season around that time) the specialties. and that's not very far off for you to look forward to :D
Posted by: Hoang | 19 April 2010 at 02:10 PM
Is this the day, Hoang, where everyone must kill insects? I didn't know about the food connection. Will look for the sticky rice and plums. Thanks for the tip ;) Any more that you can think off?
Posted by: Sticky | 20 April 2010 at 10:12 PM
kill in insects? no no everyone should kill them mosquitoes whenever they can during these months i think lol... these worms mentioned are inside, you know, the parasitic types.
it's traditional belief that on this day if you eat a lot of tart fruits (plums, grapefruits,... you get the picture) and stuffs like fermented sticky rice which is slightly alcoholic (both red and white varieties) or yoghurt and so on, it helps to get rid of the worms.
"Giết sâu bọ" is how they call it, literally "kill insects", but then, there're no insects involved.
Can't think of any other lunar days atm, except when the Buddhists go vegetarian, twice a month, my mom included :)
Posted by: Hoang | 26 April 2010 at 03:37 PM