For people in southern Vietnam, grilled snakehead fish is an essential offering on God of Wealth Day. However, not everyone understands the cultural and spiritual significance behind this tradition.

A unique offering

On the 10th day of the lunar calendar’s first month, known as God of Wealth Day, vendors selling grilled snakehead fish in traditional markets and along Tan Ky-Tan Quy Street in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, start their fires before sunrise.

At "grilled snakehead fish street" in Tan Phu, vendors prepare and clean fish of various sizes in advance. By early morning, charcoal grills burn red-hot as the rich aroma of roasting fish fills the air.

Hundreds of grilled snakehead fish are displayed on multi-tiered racks, ready for customers. When buyers arrive, vendors quickly reheat the fish, pack them, and hand them over.

Despite using additional grills and hiring more workers to handle orders, vendors struggle to meet the high demand. The narrow street often becomes congested as customers jostle for space to purchase grilled fish.

At traditional markets, smaller-sized snakehead fish are preferred for grilling. Vendors keep the fish whole, leaving the scales, fins, and tails intact. The marketplace is bustling, with golden-brown grilled fish lined up in rows, exuding a mouthwatering aroma.

Dung, a vendor selling grilled snakehead fish with sugarcane skewers on Tan Ky-Tan Quy Street, explained: "People believe that offering grilled snakehead fish on God of Wealth Day brings prosperity and good fortune.

"I don’t know when this tradition began, but every year on the 10th day of the lunar calendar’s first month, families buy grilled fish to place on their Than Tai and Tho Dia altars."

"Offer what you eat"

According to Dr. Duong Hoang Loc, director of the Center for Religious and Ethical Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, the tradition of offering grilled snakehead fish on God of Wealth Day is mainly observed in southern Vietnam.

Offerings vary depending on whether the worshipper is of Vietnamese or Chinese descent and their business sector. The Chinese community often presents roast pork, roast duck, and sponge cakes, while Vietnamese families in the south always include grilled snakehead fish alongside the "tam sen" trio - boiled pork, a boiled crab or shrimp, and a boiled duck egg.

Dr. Loc explained that the tradition originates from the ancient worship of the Earth God and the Land Spirit among early Vietnamese settlers in the south.

"When their ancestors migrated south to reclaim and cultivate new lands, they worshipped the Earth God and Tho Dia on the 10th day of the first lunar month," Loc said.

"The veneration of Than Tai was introduced later by the Chinese community."

For early settlers, the Earth God played an essential role in their spiritual beliefs, as he was closely connected to their daily lives.

On Earth God Worship Day, early southern Vietnamese offered simple and familiar foods, including bananas, sticky rice, tobacco, and grilled snakehead fish.

"Grilled snakehead fish was a staple for those reclaiming land, so it naturally became part of the offering," Loc said.

The fish is always presented whole, with its tail and scales intact. This reflects the simplicity of early Vietnamese settlers, who believed in offering food just as they ate it - without extravagance or embellishment.

Additionally, the snakehead fish is known for its resilience and adaptability. By offering it, early settlers expressed their hope for strength and perseverance in the face of hardships, as they navigated a land where crocodiles roamed the rivers and tigers lurked in the forests.

Ha Nguyen