Keep Hanoi Clean is preparing for its biggest event of the year: cleaning up Lễ cúng Ông Táo, or Kitchen God day.
On the 23rd of the last month of the lunar calendar, which falls on Jan 25, 2022, Vietnamese will celebrate the Kitchen God day by releasing fish into various waterways. More often than not, people bring the fish in plastic bags, which are usually dumped right in the water with the fish.
The NPO Keep Hanoi Clean (KHC) is going to collect the bags before they are released and educate the general public on the dangers of plastic pollution.
This is the sixth year that the organization has run this event. Last year, they collected almost a ton of waste that was destined for the water. This year they hope to hit a full ton, focusing on four bridges, Thăng Long, Vĩnh Tuy, Đông Trù and Chương Dương, as well as West Lake and Trúc Bạch Lake.
KHC is looking for 180 volunteers to do various tasks, from putting together collection bags and setting up signs to picking up discarded plastic. They are also calling for sponsors to support the event, which will run from January 21 to 25.
According to folk culture, every year the King of Heaven sends the Kitchen God, ông Táo, to Earth to record all the good and bad deeds of humanity. And on the 23rd, he flies back to heaven to deliver his report, riding a flying carp. Local people often release carp and other fish on the day to "assist" ông Táo in the hope of receiving good fortune in the year to come.
To sign up for KHC’s event, follow this link.
[Photo via Sputnik]
