This is one of the amazing fairy tales for kids. Once, there was a poor man named Khoai, who worked as a servant for a landlord in the village. The landlord was very mean, but he had a beautiful daughter. He was afraid that Khoai would leave his household and thus, he would lose a hard worker.
So, he promised Khoai that if he worked hard for three years, he would be allowed to marry the landlord’s daughter. Khoai was very honest, so he believed the landlord. He worked day and night and looked forward to getting married. However, the landlord didn’t keep the promise. Instead, he offered his daughter to the son of a wealthy man in the neighboring village. Also, read The Golden Star Fruit Tree.
When the time for marriage arrived, the landlord said to Khoai, “Khoai! Go to the forest, find a hundred-knot bamboo and cut it up into chopsticks for the wedding feats. Then, I’ll let you marry my daughter.” Khoai again believed the landlord. Bringing an axe with him, he went in search of a bamboo with one hundred knots. The landlord and the wealthy man were very happy after tricking Khoai. After he left, they began secretly preparing for their children’s marriage.
Meanwhile, Khoai spent his whole day climbing every mountain and crossing every streaming the forest to search for a bamboo with one hundred knots. However, he couldn’t find one. The tallest bamboo he cold see had less than fifty knots. Tired and sad, he started to cry.
Suddenly, Buddha, the supreme man who always helped good people and punished bad ones appeared. He asked Khoai, “Who are you? Why are you crying?” After listening to Khoai’s story, Buddha smiled and said, “Don’t worry! Go and cut on hundred knots of bamboo, put them in a row and say ‘Stick Together! Stick Together!’ and you’ll have the bamboo you want.” Then, Buddha disappeared. Also, read The Enchantress And The Apple Tree.
Filled with joy, Khoai did as Buddha said, and he soon had the bamboo he needed to marry the landlord’s daughter. He set out to bring it back but it was too big and heavy for him to load onto his shoulders. Khoai started to cry again. Buddha immediately appeared and said, “The bamboo will come apart in one hundred knots when you say ‘Unstick! Unstick!'” Khoai did as Buddha said and the bamboo came apart in one hundred knots. He tied up the knots and brought them back.
But when he got home, Khoai saw the two families holding their wedding. He realized he had been tricked. He put the bamboo knots in the yard and asked the landlord to receive his bridal token. Looking at the bamboo knots, the landlord shouted, “I asked to find a bamboo with one hundred knots, not one hundred knots of bamboo. How stupid you are!” Both the landlord and the wealthy man burst into scornful laughter and mocked Khoai.
Khoai became angry. He said nothing to the men but quietly put bamboo knots in a row and shouted, “Stick Together! Stick Together!” They turned into one bamboo with one hundred knots. The landlord was very surprised, so he came near to see the bamboo. Khoai then said, “Stick Together! Stick Together!” Immediately, the landlord stuck to the bamboo. The wealthy man came to rescue the landlord but Khoai said in a low voice, “Stick Together! Stick Together!” The wealthy man stuck to the bamboo, too.
The two rich men screamed and begged for freedom. The landlord was so scared that he promised to let Khoai marry his daughter that day. Then, Khoai said, “Unstick! Unstick!” The bamboo immediately came apart and the rich men were free. The wealthy man and his son left the wedding feast in a hurry.
Khoai tied the knot with the landlord’s daughter that day and they lived together happily forever and ever. You may also like to read, The Alphabet Tree.
Here is a short visual depiction of one of the amazing fairy tales “The Hundred Knot Bamboo Tree“. See the video story below,
