Folktales and legends in Vietnam

Diksha wrote:

1. Name 3 popular legends that have been passed down from generation to generation in Vietnam.

First legend:  Lạc Long Quân and u Cơ.

Lạc Long Quân, a descendant of water dragon, was the son of the first Hùng Vương who ruled the land eons ago, around the year 2880 BC according to all history books.  One day he met and fell in love with a creature from heaven, an angel named u Cơ. 

Their marital relationship resulted in the birth of a sac of 100 eggs that became 50 boys and 50 girls.  In spite of such large family, the children were taught everything to survive in the world and raised to love one another.  However, due to the polar opposite nature of the genes they inherited from their parents, the young people's life was rifed with discord and strife.  To solve the problem, Lạc Long Quân and u Cơ divided the family in half -- 50 children followed their father to live by the sea and the other 50 with their mother to the mountains where heaven was thought to be nearer.

What happened after the separation was that the children made their homes not just on the mountains or by the sea but also every point in between.  They lived in the wood and on the plain, grew rice and caught fish, built houses and made pottery, maintained the same language and developed dialects of their own.  Sometimes they fought among themselves and other times they united to fight against the enemy from the North.  And they called one another by the term "đồng bào", meaning "the same bag", to remind themselves of their origin. 

Five thousand years later, Vietnamese still sometimes fight among themselves and other times fight together against the Northern invader.  They still believe that they're the offsprings of dragon and angel.  They still call each other đồng bào.  They still grow rice and catch fish, build houses and make pottery.  Above all, they still celebrate the death anniversary of their common ancestor Hùng Vương (Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương).  After Tết, it's the most important event of the year when tens of thousand people climbed the 175 meter to the top of Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain in Phú Thọ (82 km northwest of Hanoi) where Đền Hùng (Hung Temple) is located -- to light incenses and pray for the future of the country.

Ciambella wrote:

Diksha wrote:

1. Name 3 popular legends that have been passed down from generation to generation in Vietnam.

First legend:

Lạc Long Quân and u Cơ: Why Vietnamese call themselves the offsprings of dragon and angel

Lạc Long Quân, a descendant of water dragon, was the son of the first Hùng Vương who ruled the land eons ago, around the year 2880 BC according to all history books.  One day he met and fell in love with a creature from heaven, an angel named u Cơ. 

Their marital relationship resulted in the birth of a sac of 100 eggs that became 50 boys and 50 girls.  In spite of such large family, the children were taught everything to survive in the world and raised to love one another.  However, due to the polar opposite genes that they inherited from the parents, the young people's life was rifed with discord and strife.  To solve the problem, Lạc Long Quân and u Cơ divided the family in half -- 50 children followed their father to live by the sea and the other 50 with their mother to the mountains where heaven was thought to be nearer.

What happened after the separation was that the children made their homes not just on the mountains or by the sea but also every point in between.  They lived in the wood and on the plain, grew rice and catched fish, built houses and made pottery, maintained the same language and developed dialects of their own.  Sometimes they fought among themselves and other times they united to fight against the enemy from the North.  And they called one another by the term "đồng bào", meaning "the same bag", to remind themselves of their origin. 

Five thousand years later, Vietnamese still sometimes fight among themselves and other times fight together against the Northern invader.  They still call each other đồng bào.  They still grow rice and catch fish.  Most of all, they still celebrate the death anniversary of their common ancestor Hùng Vương (Giỗ Tổ Hùng Vương).  After Tết, it's the biggest festival of the year when tens of thousand people climbed the 175 meter to the top of Nghĩa Lĩnh Mountain in Phú Thọ (82 km northwest of Hanoi) where Đền Hùng (Hung Temple) is located -- to light incenses and pray for the future of the country.

I'm cheating, I will go by what she said. 🙂

Got no folktales or legends.
I will wait until Diksha asks if we know any superstitions, I got Vietnamese superstitions up the kazoo and always looking for more.

gobot wrote:

Got no folktales or legends.
I will wait until Diksha asks if we know any superstitions, I got Vietnamese superstitions up the kazoo and always looking for more.

Have you got...if the rooster crows before sunrise, someone in the village is pregnant, or the baby died at birth because it or its mother did something bad in their previous life.

colinoscapee wrote:

Have you got...if the rooster crows before sunrise, someone in the village is pregnant, or the baby died at birth because it or its mother did something bad in their previous life.

But roosters are supposed to crow before sunrise, aren't they?

Ciambella wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Have you got...if the rooster crows before sunrise, someone in the village is pregnant, or the baby died at birth because it or its mother did something bad in their previous life.

But roosters are supposed to crow before sunrise, aren't they?

Tell that to my wifes family.
I presume she means during the night.

colinoscapee wrote:

Have you got...if the rooster crows before sunrise, someone in the village is pregnant, or the baby died at birth because it or its mother did something bad in their previous life.

Ok I'll add the rooster. It qualifies if anyone believes it [my rule] because I think there are so many that they will vary across ethnic groups, villages and families.

Now I will raise you:

When you sneeze, that means someone, somewhere is yelling at you.

gobot wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Have you got...if the rooster crows before sunrise, someone in the village is pregnant, or the baby died at birth because it or its mother did something bad in their previous life.

Ok I'll add the rooster. It qualifies if anyone believes it [my rule] because I think there are so many that they will vary across ethnic groups, villages and families.

Now I will raise you:

When you sneeze, that means someone, somewhere is yelling at you.

That's a good one.

gobot wrote:

Now I will raise you:
"When you sneeze, that means someone, somewhere is yelling at you."

Not all sneezes are created equal. 

- If you sneeze on a Tuesday between 11PM and 1AM, someone is going to invite you out to eat. 

- Same (or on another) Tuesday, if you sneeze between 1AM and 3AM, a big business opportunity is coming your way but it'll turn your life upside down with difficulty abound.

- Sneeze on a Sunday between 3AM and 5AM, a friend of opposite gender is about to ask you out.

- Also on a Sunday, a sneeze between 5AM and 7AM means your new friend will bring you happiness.

- It would be much better if you can hold off the sneeze until between 7AM and 9AM on a Saturday because it'll mean that you can go ahead and act on your wish now.  Don't hesitate, Lady Luck is your companion right now.

- OTOH, don't sneeze on any Monday between 9AM and 11AM because it will bring very bad news.

There are more, but I'm tired of typing.

Ciambella wrote:

gobot wrote:

Now I will raise you:
"When you sneeze, that means someone, somewhere is yelling at you."

Not all sneezes are created equal. 

- If you sneeze on a Tuesday between 11PM and 1AM, someone is going to invite you out to eat. 

- Same (or on another) Tuesday, if you sneeze between 1AM and 3AM, a big business opportunity is coming your way but it'll turn your life upside down with difficulty abound.

- Sneeze on a Sunday between 3AM and 5AM, a friend of opposite gender is about to ask you out.

- Also on a Sunday, a sneeze between 5AM and 7AM means your new friend will bring you happiness.

- It would be much better if you can hold off the sneeze until between 7AM and 9AM on a Saturday because it'll mean that you can go ahead and act on your wish now.  Don't hesitate, Lady Luck is your companion right now.

- OTOH, don't sneeze on any Monday between 9AM and 11AM because it will bring very bad news.

There are more, but I'm tired of typing.

I sneeze a lot, and I got squat for it. 😫

colinoscapee wrote:

I sneeze a lot, and I got squat for it. 😫

You're not Vietnamese.   

Ciambella wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

I sneeze a lot, and I got squat for it. 😫

You're not Vietnamese.   

I waggle my hands instead of saying "I don't know".

What happens when you sneeze all the time?

The mother??  Not the father??  I just love being a guy!!

colinoscapee wrote:

Have you got...if the rooster crows before sunrise, someone in the village is pregnant,

I think this is a fairly sure thing prophecy.  Always there will be someone in the village who is pregnant at any given time.

THIGV wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

Have you got...if the rooster crows before sunrise, someone in the village is pregnant,

I think this is a fairly sure thing prophecy.  Always there will be someone in the village who is pregnant at any given time.

Where my wife comes from not so sure, it's extremely small.

colinoscapee wrote:

it's extremely small.

It takes a brave man to admit that.