Skip to main content

The Tale of God of Kitchen

Once upon a time, a couple was so poor that they didn’t have any acres of farm-land. Therefore they had to work for others. Although their lives were very difficult, they were still pleased. After working, they used to sit by fireplace and talk tales or sing to each other.
One year, fields had produced rice less than years before. Everyone was not enough rice to eat so they couldn’t hire them. Therefore, they had to go fishing, dig and pick up vegetables to eat. But it didn’t help them much, they still felt hungry. One day, the man said: “Honey, I have to leave. If I still stay at home, we will die”.
vietnamese fairy tales
vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com
After hearing, the woman insisted to go with him but the man said her:
“I still don’t know where I should go and what I would do. You should stay home, it will easier than going with me. Maybe, I could die by a road or maybe, I will bring money come home. If I don’t come back after three years, I should be remarried. Don’t wait for me more”
The woman burst in sobs and left her husband to leave. After the man left, the woman got a job. Although her masters were not rich, they felt sorry for her state and always helped her get enough food. Day bay day, there years passed, she also had waited her husband come back for three years but he didn’t come back. That time, the master’s wife had died. The master wanted to get married with her but she said: “after three years, my husband didn’t come back that make me think he was died. Therefore, I will have had to live alone for three year”
Other three years passed with no news about her husband. Everyday, she sat front entrance looking up the road and hoped to see her husband but, of course, he had never come back. Her master insisted her.
“Your husband was died or he had been married with another. So that is very difficult to see him back. You should be married with me. I and you will live happily” said the master
“Thank for your estimation but I want to be waiting for another year then I will decide” she said
a year had passed, no news hadn't come and course the woman believed completely that her husband had died so she was married with her master.
Three month later, her old husband came back but he was still poor and really wanted to meet his wife. When he knew his wife was married, he was really sad.
For the others, they were very surprised when they saw him come back especially his wife and her new husband. The woman was embarrassed and didn’t dare show her up but her old husband came and said”
“Oh my dear wife, that is my false. I had gone for long and what you did was really true; now, I only want to see her then I will go away forever.”
Although, his wife insisted and her new husband had tried to return his wife but he did disagree. He didn’t want to ruin their happy. But he also didn’t forget his wife. Becoming confused, he held his head by a rope under a tree at front of village.
The woman was heartbroken because of his dead. Her head was confused. She thought “why I didn’t wait him for a little time; why I didn’t show up when he came back. I am person who had killed him.”  The next morning, while anyone was planing to hold a funeral for the poor man, they saw the woman was dead in the lake by the tree. The new husband, after holding funeral for his wife, became insane. Then one day, after sharing his assets he drank poison to die.
When they had died, they came to another world where ghosts live. Whoever was new they was judged by the Death. The Death said: “Why did you kill yourselves? Do you know that is a big crime?”
The old husband said: “My God, because I couldn’t live with my wife and I also couldn’t leave so I thought if I had died my spirit could have lived with her.”
The new husband said: “Although I and she had married for three months but I had loved her very much, I couldn’t live without her so I decided to die for meeting her.”
The the woman’s turn, she said:”I have still loved my old husband very much and I also must admit that I am very grateful my new husband’s love. I was really confused and didn’t know to do anything so I decided to die.”
After hearing, the Death had felt moving. He want all three people was lived together forever. Thinking for seconds, he transformed three into three God who took care of fireplace.
Something about vietnamese culture: god of kitchen or god of the soil, they are a woman and 2 men. each family in Viet Nam always has a God in their kitchen who observe them for a year until Dec, 23rd (lunar calendar) they will fly to heaven and report all good and bad things we had done in that year to the King of heaven and they also talk about what people wish for the King consider. They come back on Dec, 27th for Tet holiday coming. Vietnamese people think that the flame in their kitchen is family-love symbol and the duty of the God of kitchen is keep it light.   
THE END
"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

Book Introductions

1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore

Discover over 240 enchanting Vietnamese fairy tales, translated into English and beautifully illustrated. This collection is a treasure trove of legends and folklore that reflect Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese

This bilingual collection features 162 Vietnamese fairy tales in both English and Vietnamese, with stunning illustrations. Ideal for language learners and cultural enthusiasts. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

3. The Treasury of Fables

An enchanting collection of timeless fables, written in English and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for all ages, these stories offer valuable moral lessons. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

Ebook Banner

Essential Reads: Engaging Books You Can't Miss!

Read more:
-----


BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese  fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has  its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!

Wishing pearl

De was a young boy. His parent was servants of a landlord. Every morning, De led landlord’s cattle to meadow and brought them back at nightfall. De used to be excited in playing with his fellows and when he was in his game he didn’t care anything. Many times the cattle he herded ate rice on field and the owners used to beat him pained but he still left cattle and joined in his fellows. One normal day, he and his fellows had a swimming competition. An award was given to the winner that he couldn’t refuse. Therefore, he participated in the competition and left his cattle on a wild hill. They swam and dived in water until noon and when they walked on ground, a cow had disappeared. The cow belonged to no one but his master. Children separated to find the cow but the cow seemed to vanish they couldn’t find it. Sun was going to down, children made their ways to home they left De staying at there. Day stayed at there alone crying. After that, he fell in sleep. Latter, he was woken up b...

So dua - Coconut boy

Once upon a time, there in a village had a couple who worked as servants for a landlord. Although they were over fifty years old, they had ever not had a child. They were sad about that, but they had never given up to dream about a child. One day, it's a very hot day, when the wife was working in the field and felt very thirsty. She seeked for water, but she didn't see any but a little water in a skull which was in a hole beside an ancient tree. She had no choice but to drink it. Right the moment she drank, the feeling of cold water running from her throat to her stomach made her felt very comfortable. As a magic, she was pregnant after that short time. Then, the husband died before he got the happiness looking his child be born. After nine months and ten days, the wife gave birth a son but he didn't look like any child on the world. He had no feet, no leg, and even no body. He just had a head with full of eyes, nose, ear, hair and mouth on it. He didn't ugly but was ...

Thanh Giong

Once  upon a time, a woman was old but she had not given birth a child. One day, when she went to her field, she saw a stranger footsore on the ground. The big footsore made her surprise and said: “omg, this footsore is so big” the she put her foot into the footsore. More 9 months later, she gave birth to a little boy named Giong. The boy was extraordinary that he was over three years old but had not spoken. He only knew lying and smiling. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That year, the enemies they were known An planed to attack the country of the boy. They were merciless. Wherever they had gone, houses were ruined, fields were fired, people were killed. The sight behind them is mess of corpse and blood and ashes.The King was worry he forced his servants to look for person who could fight against the enemies.  One day, a servent went to Giong’s village while the woman was holding the boy in her arms, she said sadly that: “Giong, I wonder that when you hav...

The tale of watermelon

Once  upon a time, a young man whose name was Mai An  Tiem   was a slave. He was sold to a King named Hung   Vuong . Mai An   Tiem   was clever, he   learned   vietnamese   language very fast.   Futher , he knew so many stories, places and could do everything so good so he was liked by Hung   Vuong   very much that wherever Hung   Vuong   had come he also came with him. Three years later, he was Hung   Vuong   let to become a noble and was stayed in a building near the castle. Besides, Hung   Vuong   made his daughter become his wife.  Mai An   Tiem   now had wife, a five-year-old son, servants and assets. He seemed to lack nothing. Although he had never been arrogant people still were jealous with his his luck. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com One day, people who were participating in a party complimented as much as they could but he only said: “That because of ...

The tale of tiger

Once  upon a time, there had an angle in heaven. The angle’s name was Pham Nhi. Strong and combative were the words used to describe him. Things as moving mountain, filling sea, pushing ancient tree were normal things he used to do. His ability had surpassed almost other angles including generals in heaven. Pham Nhi always had things to do he used to find the strong to have a fight. But, they avoided them because there had had many strong angles who were knocked out after one punch. He became haughty when very few people dared to accept his challenge. He thought that generals   who servanted the king weren’t as strong as him that his name spread more largely than them. But, the king seemed not to pay attention to him. Instead of inviting him to castle and giving him a worthy position, the king did nothing. Then, he turned much haughty, not respecting his king. He thought that he could replace his king, ruling the heaven. Therefore, he gathered others to fight agai...

Tu Thuc and wonderland

A  boy, named Tu Thuc, lived in Tran dynasty. He was offspring of a mandarin and was taught carefully. When he was 20 years old, he got passed all contests the king organized. So, he was appointed to be district mandarin. Not like other mandarins he liked freedom, hated rules. He also didn’t like to swarm others. He liked to drink, do poetry and go sightseeing. A large temple stood in the area he managed. Peonies were grown in temple’s garden and they bloomed in every January that was also the time the temple had a Buddhist festival. Many people from anywhere gathered at there as the festival started. Tu Thuc had heard about the festival and wanted to go to there one time. He put on normal clothes that helped him not to be realized by others. He went alone to the temple. That time, Buddhism was national religion of the country so monks were people who had high positions. Monks set a rule that anyone who picked up flowers or broke boughs would be paid for that and if they ha...

My Chau and Trong Thuy

Once upon a time, there had a king, named An Duong Vuong. After many years fighting, he get a large area. The king planed to build a castle but whenever it had been built as tall as a men’s height then it was ruined. The king was unhappy. Therefore, the king had made an altar to pray God for few days until an early morning, a old man from seaside went to talk him God Turtle was going come to help him. The king was very happy and forced soldiers to wait on the seaside. The next day, in the water appeared a big gold turles toward seaside. The soldiers invited God Turtle to set sat on a big gold platter and brought to the king. The God Turtle told the king that the castle couldn’t have finished because of demons. God Turtle helped the king to kill the demons so all demons was killed. Besides, the God Turtle help the king design a castle look like a seashell with many gate levels. Half a month later, the castle had been finished. The king was very pleased but a little worry. He a...

Bài 1.5: Cách sử dụng at, on, in cho thời gian, ngày, tháng, năm, mùa.

Chào các bạn! Bởi vì mình có hay dich truyện và một vài thứ linh tinh khác nên thường bắt gặp ngày, tháng năm. Thật ra khôngkhó để sử dụng đúng nhưng mỗi lần cần đến mình lại phải tra lại tra cứu. Điều đó rất mất thời gian nên hôm nay mình viết một bài liên quan đến at, on, in + thời gian để giúp bạn nào chưa biết và giúp chính mình nhớ được cách sử dụng của các giới từ at, on, in và dạng thời gian được theo sau giới từ đó.