The charm of Hoa Tien brocade

(Baonghean) - Hoa Tien village (Chau Tien commune - Quy Chau) is one of the famous brocade weaving cradles. In the past, girls wove brocade as a dowry when they got married or to exchange to help support the family economy. Nowadays, brocade has become an indispensable product in the material and spiritual life of the Thai people. But no matter what, each embroidery stroke contains the subtle charm and talented hands of Thai women. Each brocade piece starts from planting cotton, raising silkworms, spinning thread to dyeing and embroidering. It is a labor process full of patience and creativity.

Ms. Sam Thi Hoa, Hoa Tien 1 village, just taught her daughter Sam Thi Vy Na, grade 8, how to weave new brocade and told us, "I see that Thai people in Mai Chau, Hoa Binh often weave coarse fabrics, striped fabrics, and square fabrics in the way of weaving one heart. Meanwhile, Thai people in Hoa Tien (Quy Chau) both weave and embroider with some basic weaving styles such as: weaving patterns on the frame (khuyt); weaving i kat (cat mi); weaving man carpets (hua duong); weaving the word "nhan". We often embroider patterns with prepared colored threads through the operations of inserting and weaving directly on the loom. Many different types of patterns such as elephants, dragons, suns, flowers, leaves, trees and grass..." Perhaps thanks to that, Hoa Tien women have woven beautiful brocade thanks to the creativity of the mind and the dexterity of the hands. Looking at Sam Thi Vy Na attentively following each finger of her mother, I suddenly feel happy that the village has a next generation to preserve each talented trait.

Ms. Sam Thi Hoa, Hoa Tien 1 village, teaches her daughter to weave brocade.

Hoa Tien brocade weaving village was spontaneously established in 1994 to serve the needs of tourists at sightseeing spots, tourist areas in the district and neighboring localities such as Quy Hop, Que Phong. Recently, together with the project "Multi-sector rural development" sponsored by the Kingdom of Belgium, the People's Committee of Quy Chau district invited experts and artisans to research and affirm the potential for developing the local brocade weaving profession. Thanks to that, Hoa Tien brocade weaving village has truly revived. In 2015 alone, the whole district woven 22,000m2 of brocade, in which Hoa Tien village cluster contributed significantly. Hoa Tien village currently has two weaving and embroidery groups, specializing in producing goods for many places inside and outside the province. During local festivals such as Hang Bua, Tham Om, Chin Gian temple... traditional Pieu scarves or combined with modern features, lovely bags, handbags, backpacks woven from brocade are not only consumed domestically but also exported to many countries such as Japan, China, Korea, France, Belgium,...

Ms. Sam Thi Bich, Head of Hoa Tien Brocade Craft Village Cooperative, said: "As a Thai girl, everyone must know how to weave brocade, embroider, and then make their own dresses, blankets, sheets, pillows, or Pieu scarves... Moreover, the personality and feelings of the weaver are also clearly shown on that brocade. A Thai girl in love cannot hide her feelings, so she uses many bright colors. Older women tend to use dark colors, strong lines, and deep thoughts."

Walking through the deep mountains and forests of the ancient Thai village, listening to the clattering sound of weaving looms, and seeing the colorful brocade drying on the fence, one can see the charm of brocade from thousands of years ago still shining brightly today.

Cong Manh