(Baonghean) - The custom of making worship paper of the Mong people has existed since ancient times and has become a beautiful traditional cultural feature of this ethnic group.
For the Mong people in the western Nghe An region, the happiest season is from July to September of the lunar calendar. At that time, the familiar sound of beating giang is heard throughout the village. The Mong women carry on their shoulders heavy giang trees that are neither too young nor too old. If the tree is too young, it will not ensure the toughness of the paper, on the contrary, if it is too old, there will be not enough starch to bind it. When the giang trees are brought home, people split them, remove the green part on the outside, take the white part inside, and then cook them. The Mong people do not only cook giang trees alone, but also mix in flax ash and lime powder. After about a day of cooking, when the giang trees are soft, they take them out, wash them, crush them, and squeeze out the water. This water is poured onto a prepared curtain frame and dried. Thus, the Mong people have completed a piece of paper to place in the most sacred places in the house, welcoming the new year.
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| Wash the rice. |
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| Crush the bamboo shoots to squeeze out the juice. |
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| Use a bucket to hold the water and residue of the plant. |
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| According to Mong people's custom, worshiping papers are pasted inside the house or at the entrance. |
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| Cook. |
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| Dry the cowhides sprinkled with water to make paper. |
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| Cover the cowhide or buffalo hide with water to dry. |
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| Mong people's worship paper products. |
Photo series:Ho Phuong - Dao Tho
