Day cake - A must-have dish for the H’Mong Lunar New Year

“Banh day” (day cake, or ground glutinous rice cake) and the pounding of day cakes is an indispensable part of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday of the H’Mong ethnic people in Vietnam’s northern mountainous provinces.

Women prepare banana leaves that have been passed through fire and thoroughly cleaned. (Photo: Tin Tuc Newspaper/VNA)

The glutinous rice needs to be cooked over a low and even heat for about an hour, allowing it to thoroughly cook, become tender, and sticky. (Photo: Tin Tuc Newspaper/VNA)

The more finely pounded, the chewier, more delicious, and more durable the cake becomes. (Photo: Tin Tuc Newspaper/VNA)

After the glutinous rice has been finely pounded, skilled hands are needed to immediately shape the cake. It can’t be shaped once it has cooled. (Photo: Tin Tuc Newspaper/VNA)

The first three cakes are offered to the ancestors as a gesture of gratitude and to express thanks to the heavens and the earth for the blessings throughout the year. (Photo: Tin Tuc Newspaper/VNA)

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