Hoa Binh (Hòa Bình) “rượu cần” (wine drunk out of a jar with pipes)

"Rượu cần" (wine drunk out of a jar with pipes)

In the old days, Muong (Mường) minority possessed their custom of drinking "rượu cần" (wine drunk out of a jar with pipes). Pipes are made of ivory bamboo or unchocked pipes. Fresh unchocked pipes are shortly exposed onto fire to easily bend up to jar shape. Particularly, pipe forms depend much on the host's personality. As a result, these pipes certainly differ from one another. Jars are heirlooms which are getting more and more valuable and rare by the time goes and later on it will be considered as dowry.

To have a tasty jar of wine requires meticulous methodology. The processing procedure should be as follows: a small handful of grinded cinnamon leaves are mixed up with rice powder, then thoroughly kneaded and rolled into balls of chicken egg size, placed in a bamboo basket whose bottom is lined with dry banana leaves and placed at ventilated places without sunlight to make yeast cakes. Bran is to be wiped out of yeast cakes. Glutinous rice is soaked and then mixed up with rice and bran with the ratio of 1 rice, two brans. This rice is then steamed without being covered; waiting for it to be cooled down, dusted with yeast powder, covered with banana leaves, exposed to sunlight to be dry, then put into jars, again covered with banana leaves, sealed with wet ash. After three or five days, half opening the cover of jars, which are poured into with hygiene water up to its neck where bamboo splints are pinned, and then jars are filled with some leaves. Pipes are plugged into jars' mouth and enjoy drinking.

Custom of drinking this kind of wine requires pairs: the even goes with the even, the odd with the odd, or two or three pipes are used at the same time. No matter how much wine is drunk, water is then filled accordingly to make sure its level is up to jar's mouth. Sometimes, drinkers are divided into two groups, group that drinks less then the other will be poured with water on their heads.

Custom of drinking this kind of wine is often done in groups to be crowded and exciting. People all enjoy a nice custom of their village.

If receiving guests, the host will stretch out a mat in the middle of the floor and place jar of wine onto that mat and invite others to sit around the jar. After exchanging regards, the host invites others to drink the wine to drive away tiredness. Muong people normally consider it to be the first step of drinking custom (alternatively to ventilate pipes). Next should be for couple drinking (host and guest), male and female, four-people drinking, six-people drinking, and more. They sing while enjoying the wine, exchanging information, singing for invitation, seeing-off, or promise. Nowadays, "rượu cần" has become a well-known specialty of Hoa Binh.

D.Loan (Collected)