The offering tray during the Lunar New Year, death anniversaries and other ceremonies must include a boiled chicken. Many people believe that preparing a satisfactory sacrificial chicken will bring them a better year. Therefore, people tend to be more careful when it comes to choosing, boiling and placing the chicken as an offering compared to boiling chicken for daily meals, as a way to show their respect to their ancestors and deities.
Due to this carefulness, people pay attention to minute details such as when to turn the chicken with its back facing the altar and when to turn it back, and where to place the chicken, and if there are any differences when it comes to the ancestral altar, the God of Wealth, and the Earth God, etc.
When to turn the sacrificial chicken with its back facing the altar and when to turn it back?
Whether to turn the sacrificial chicken with its back facing the altar or not also depends on where the chicken is placed, either on the altar or outdoors, as well as the time of the ceremony.
When to turn the sacrificial chicken with its back facing the altar and when to turn it back is a concern for many people. (Photo: Hao Nhien)
Ancestral worship
According to some cultural experts, the sacrificial chicken placed on the altar should face the incense burner. This posture is considered as “the chicken is crowing and chirping, paying homage”. The sacrificial chicken for ancestor worship should be placed in a kneeling position, with its wings stretched naturally and its mouth open. Placing the chicken with its head facing outward may look nicer but it does not hold any spiritual meaning, implying that the chicken is not paying homage and thus, there is no reverence.
However, many others believe that it does not matter whether the sacrificial chicken faces outward or inward, as long as its head faces a certain direction.
Sacrificial chicken for New Year’s Eve
According to folk beliefs, every year, the Heavenly Court replaces all the officials in charge of the underworld. The New Year’s Eve ceremony is to bid farewell to the officials governing the old year and to welcome the officials governing the new year. Therefore, the head of the chicken should face the road to welcome the Administrative Officer governing the new year.
In addition, placing the sacrificial chicken for New Year’s Eve facing the road also means calling the sun to shine into the house so that everything is bright, fresh and favorable in the new year.
Sacrificial chicken for the God of Wealth and the Earth God
Similar to the way of placing the sacrificial chicken on the ancestral altar, the chicken offered to the God of Wealth and the Earth God should also be placed whole on a plate (with its internal organs placed under its belly). The chicken’s mouth should hold a red rose, with its head facing the main door.
The sacrificial chicken placed on the altar should face the incense burner. (Photo: TL)
Secret to boiling a beautiful sacrificial chicken
To have a perfect sacrificial chicken, you should be careful from the very first step of choosing the chicken. You should choose a cockerel, a free-range chicken weighing about 1.5 kg after slaughter. Do not buy a chicken that is too big as it will be more difficult to arrange on the tray, and the meat will be tougher.
The sacrificial chicken should be healthy, agile, with smooth feathers, bright red comb, yellow skin, small legs and a well-developed chest. A chicken with these characteristics will not only have tender meat but also look better after boiling and arranging on the tray.
After buying the chicken, do not slaughter it immediately. Instead, untie its legs, put it in a cage or a pen and let it walk for half a day or at least a few hours to let the blood circulate, avoiding the situation where the chicken’s legs turn black due to blood stagnation after being tied.
For sacrificial chickens, you cannot eviscerate it like when you are making fried, stir-fried or boiled dishes. You must gut it to create a beautiful shape and avoid skin shrinkage. Cut the legs from the elbows to avoid skin shrinkage and cracking in the thighs during boiling.
To create a praying posture, use a sharp knife to make two incisions on both sides of the chicken’s neck, and then stuff the wings towards the mouth through these incisions. This step requires carefulness and dexterity so that the wings do not break or bend but still point outwards towards the mouth. If you prefer the flying posture, gently bend the chicken’s wings towards its back, tie the wing joints together (not too tight to avoid leaving marks or tearing the skin after boiling).
Rub turmeric powder all over the surface of the chicken, let it sit for 5 minutes before boiling to create a beautiful golden color. Place the chicken in a pot, with its belly facing down, pour in cold water, and boil over high heat. Add a few slices of ginger, some crushed shallots, spring onions, a little salt and seasoning… to eliminate the smell and enhance the sweetness.
When the water boils, reduce the heat to avoid cracking the chicken’s skin due to the strong boiling, boil for about 7 more minutes (skim off the foam if any to keep the chicken’s skin bright and shiny) then turn off the heat, cover the pot for another 15 minutes to let the chicken continue cooking without cracking the skin. Use a toothpick to pierce the chicken’s thigh, if no red water comes out, the chicken is just cooked.
Remove the chicken and soak it in cold water to cool it down quickly, helping the skin to be crispier. When the chicken is slightly cool, apply a mixture of cooking oil and turmeric powder on the skin to create a golden and shiny color.
According to VTC
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