As red as human blood

Spittoons: Lime pots on display at the exhibition dating from the 13th-14th century: one with a handle (top) in the form of a legendary water serpent; one with areca designs (centre) made in the 18th century; one with a dragon-shaped handle (bottom) fromthe Nguyen dynasty in the early 20th century. — File Photo

HA NOI (VNS)— The Vietnamese custom of chewing betel and areca is being celebrated and explained at an exhibition that has opened in Ha Noi.

Entitled Betel and Areca Culture, the exhibition displays more than 100 objects and documents to provide an insight into the fascinating lore and culture of betel and areca chewing in Viet Nam.

Betel and areca are the most important offerings in traditional ceremonies, including betrothals, weddings and funerals. They symbolise love and the inseparable bond of marriage.

The tradition comes from an old folk tale about two loving brothers. One gets married and begins to forget about his younger brother, who runs away from home and eventually dies of sadness and transforms into a lime-stone. The elder goes searching for him, and dies of despair beside the stone, changing into an areca tree. His wife then searches for him in turn, and dies beside the stone and the tree, becoming a betel plant and climbing around the tree.

It is said that one day the legendary ruler of the country, King Hung, discovered a temple the local people had built for the three who died, and learned of the story. He ordered his men to grind together a leaf of betel, an areca nut and a piece lime. The result was juice as red as human blood, which the king tasted and found delicious. He recommended that betel be chewed along with areca nut and lime at every marital ceremony.

The habit of chewing betel has long been taken by common people, and it has become an integral part of the country's traditional culture and custom.

Nguyen Van Cuong, director of the Viet Nam National Museum of History, said that a key aim of the current exhibition is to foster understanding and so provide a basis for preserving and enhancing the tradition.

In recent years, the custom of chewing betel-areca has gradually declined and seemly only continues to exist among the elderly generation, mainly in rural areas.

However, betel and areca are still essential offerings at every important festival and traditional ceremony.

On display at the exhibition will be intricate and artistic betel chewing kits and many ancient lime pots which are used to contain the slaked lime that is chewed with the betel leaf. These are considered to be highly spiritual by some Vietnamese people who believe in the folk tale.

Many of the exhibits have been contributed by collector Nguyen Trung Thanh, from northern province of Hai Duong.

Collecting

Thanh, 32, started collecting pottery a long time ago. One day in 2007, he realised the strength of attachment that Vietnamese people have for betel and areca and he decided to pursue this interest, realising that there is an endless treasure trove of objects for him to discover. He now owns more than 300 items.

"I soon realised my passion for objects of betel chewing culture," he said, "each one has his or her own betel set which is different from others."

"I will never see enough different types of lime pot, which combines my collecting interests, although I will spend the whole of my life looking to find them. It is an endless game."

The exhibition is divided into three sections. The first one explores the custom of chewing betelnut from the era of Hung Kings and traces the tradition to the time of the Ly dynasty in the 11th century.

Another section shows how betel and areca culture has spread over the many ethnic groups throughout Viet Nam. The tradition varies with each different culture and living environment creating uniqueness.

The rest of the exhibition displays videos and photos showing how the betel and areca culture has been treasured and prolonged though folk songs, poetry, music and modern movies.

The exhibition has been organised with help from the Viet Nam National Museum of History, the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology, the Viet Nam Women's Museum and collector Thanh. It will run until the end of January at the National Museum of History, 1 Trang Tien Street, Ha Noi. — VNS