Keeping the flame of traditional crafts alive.
(Baonghean) - Ban Nhang brocade, Chau Cuong commune (Quy Hop district), has not yet become a truly marketable product, but with their love for brocade, the Thai women of Ban Nhang still maintain this traditional craft.
(Baonghean) - Ban Nhang brocade, Chau Cuong commune (Quy Hop district), has not yet become a truly marketable product, but with their love for brocade, the Thai women of Ban Nhang still maintain this traditional craft.
Visiting a house on the mountainside where the women were busy spinning and weaving, we found quite a few people, including the elderly, young women, and children. Ms. Lo Thi Nhang warmly greeted us and said: "Every year, as March 8th, Women's Day, approaches, we bring the brocade fabrics we've woven ourselves to the market to sell to customers as gifts."
During holidays, there are many buyers, both from the mountains and the lowlands. Thai people buy dresses, shirts, and scarves, while people from the lowlands buy blankets, sheets, and towels... both for personal use and as gifts for relatives. On regular days, they sell at home to regular customers. Previously, some business owners selling these items came from Thanh Hoa province to Nhang village to buy products, returning every few months, but in the last five years, they haven't come to buy goods anymore.
But that didn't stop the women from abandoning the craft. The women of Nhang village encouraged each other: "Brocade weaving is still a traditional craft that needs to be preserved and promoted. Even if it hasn't truly become a marketable commodity yet, we can take advantage of our free time during the agricultural off-season to weave products for ourselves and our families."
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| During their free time between farming seasons, the women of Nhang village weave products for themselves and their families. |
During their leisure time, around the looms, some spin silk, others weave cloth, and still others reel yarn... they work while sharing their joys and sorrows, reminding each other to live well, raise good children, build prosperous and happy families, and most importantly, to preserve the craft passed down from their ancestors. It is precisely because of this desire to preserve the brocade weaving craft that Ms. Lo Thi Nhang and several other women in the village have remained dedicated to their looms for so long. Currently, there are over 20 women in Nhang village who weave brocade.
Visiting the family of Ms. Lo Thi Nga, as she rhythmically moved her feet on the loom, Ms. Nga confided: "We do this because we love the craft and want to prevent it from disappearing. Weaving brocade is very hard work, requiring meticulousness and carefulness. To weave a complete product measuring 60-80 cm, or 0.8-1 meter, it takes a full four days. Some simpler products like scarves take more than a day and a night. This work requires women to be healthy, quick-handed, and quick-eyed. The people of Nhang village have always highly valued the brocade weaving skills of their women, as it is a traditional beauty of Thai women. Every family with a daughter must know how to weave brocade, weaving her own clothes for everyday wear and especially beautiful dresses, blouses, and scarves before she gets married. Mothers also help their daughters weave blanket covers and pillowcases as wedding gifts. This beautiful tradition has been deeply ingrained for generations and preserved to this day." Therefore, no one wants to lose this traditional beauty. In the past, during the mulberry season, every household would plant mulberry trees, raise silkworms, harvest cocoons, and weave brocade. Back then, the village was always vibrant with the colors of brocade, from inside the houses to the verandas, especially in the summer. Products would be dried in the sun in front of the houses, still smelling of sunshine when sold. Men and young boys would spin yarn, helping their mothers and wives weave and spin silk. The Thai people in Nhang village are always very meticulous in each of their products. To achieve beautiful colors, they would go into the forest to find roots and bark of forest trees, boil them, extract the juice, and soak the fabric for several days and nights. The most difficult part was creating the shapes, patterns, and colors... all these steps required years of experience to master.
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| Ms. Lo Thi Nga said: "To weave a complete product measuring 60-80 cm, or 0.8-1 meter, it takes a full four days. Some simpler products like scarves also take more than a day and night." |
The women of Nhang village never forget to pass on their skills to their children and grandchildren, guiding them on embroidery techniques, color coordination, and dyeing methods to create beautiful designs. Nhang's, My's, and Nga's daughters are all skilled weavers. This is because the women themselves believe that Thai women cannot lose their traditional clothing. Thai women must know how to weave, and must create their own scarves, skirts, and blouses. They hope that when they grow old, their children and grandchildren will not forget the art of weaving.
Leaving Nhang village, the image of Thai women diligently spinning silk and weaving cloth at their looms evokes a strange sense of peace. And I hope that one day soon, the vibrant, colorful brocade fabrics of Nhang village in particular, and of the Thai people of western Nghe An in general, will reach tourists near and far, becoming marketable goods and bringing income to the villagers…
Thu Huong
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