Last time we
read about the myths associated with paan
or the betel leaf in the sub-continent. What is important to make a note of is
that chewing the leaf is not confined to the sub-continent only. The betel leaf
is very popular in other countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Philippines,
Cambodia, etc.
Vietnam has a
very interesting myth associated with the betel leaf and the way it is to be
consumed. But first – the myth!
Once upon a time
there were two identical twins, Tan and Lang. They loved each other and took
great care of each other. After they lost their parents at a young age, their
teacher took them in his shelter. Soon they grew up and the teacher’s lovely
daughter fell in love with Tan and they were married.
Tan and Lang
would leave in the morning to cultivate their land and would return in the
evening to dinner prepared by Tan’s wife. Things were fine till one day, when
Lang returned earlier than Tan. In the dusky darkness, Tan’s wife mistook Lang
for her husband and welcomed him with a kiss. Before Lang could explain, Tan
saw this and was very angry with Lang and shouted at him and accused him of trying
to steal his wife. Lang tried to explain, but Tan would not hear of it.
Lang was sad and
left home as he felt that his brother was not the same as earlier and he did
not love him anymore. He ran away and continued running till he could move no
longer and dropped tired close to a river and soon died out of exhaustion. The
gods took pity on him and turned him into a huge limestone rock.
As anger
subsided, Tan felt guilty for what he had done. He was also getting worried
that his brother had not returned. He told his wife that he was going to get
his brother back and would not return till he found him. Tan looked everywhere
but could not find his brother. On reaching the river he felt peaceful and sat
next to the limestone, but never rose, as he too died of exhaustion due to
extensive walking that he had undertaken during his search. The gods again felt
sad for Tan and they changed his body into the areca tree (also known as betel
nut) which leaned on to the rock.
Soon, Tan’s wife
was worried and she too set out to look for her husband and his brother. She
too came near the river and could walk no further. She was found dead holding
on to the areca tree. The gods changed her into the betel leaf plant which grew
around the areca tree.
When the teacher
returned and learnt about everything, he built a temple near the river to mark
the love of the husband-wife as well as the brothers. Many years later, the
land was hit by a devastating drought and all plants and trees died due to lack
of water. But the areca tree and the betel leaf was as green and alive as ever.
When the King
heard about it, he personally came
down to see. In the shade of the river, the
King sat for rest and unknowingly took a betel leaf and some areca nut and
started chewing. He found the taste bitter but refreshing. Something told him
that he needed to add the limestone to it too. Since then, serving betel leaf
with areca nut (or supari in Hindi)
and limestone (or chuna in Hindi)
became a must during marriages in Vietnam as a mark of marital fidelity and
love between siblings.
The above is an
interesting myth, which not only explains the origin of the betel leaf, but
also the areca nut and the limestone, which is a must in any preparation of the
paan or the betel leaf in any part of
the world, including India. It also gives the reason of consuming the three
together.
An interesting
myth which though emanates from a different culture has the same result across
different cultures!
