In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, the group of workers worked day and night writing thousands of calligraphy characters to meet orders. Although they only operated for about 10 days, they still brought in a decent income to spend during the Tet holiday.
The fruit calligraphy team of Mr. Ho Manh Ha in Vinh city has been operating for more than 10 years. This special profession only operates during the Lunar New Year, especially the peak days from Ong Cong Ong Tao Festival to around the 25th-28th of the lunar calendar. This year, the group received 500 orders for grapefruit with calligraphy written on grapefruit and about 1,000 watermelons with calligraphy written on them upon request. Each letter written on a grapefruit or watermelon, depending on the difficulty and the material, the accompanying decorative pattern, the calligrapher is paid 15-25 thousand VND. Photo: HTMr. Nguyen Dinh Loc is one of the "workers" who has been working in the calligraphy profession for more than 10 years. Mr. Loc said that although the profession only operates for about 10 days at the end of the 12th lunar month, it is quite busy and at peak times there are days when his team takes turns working all night to deliver orders. In addition to the progress requirements, other strict and meticulous requirements must be met to create a satisfactory product that meets the requirements of customers such as: aesthetics, color, fruit shape, cleaning steps and preserving fresh fruit. Photo: HTThe group of workers who maintain the craft of writing calligraphy on fruit are all knowledgeable, talented and passionate about calligraphy, painting and the traditional cultural beauty of the nation. Photo: HTEach grapefruit is fully decorated, has beautiful colors, balanced shape, is firm and heavy, and meets VietGAP standards. When it reaches customers, it costs 80,000 - 100,000 VND. Grapefruit with only letters, no peach blossom decoration, and moderate weight costs 80,000 VND. Large, round, balanced grapefruit decorated with peach blossoms costs 100,000 VND. All grapefruits are ordered from VietGAP-standard farms in Nghi Cong commune, Nghi Loc district. Photo: HTAfter being imported, the grapefruits are again selected, removing deformed, soft, black-spotted, spongy, and underweight fruits. Then, the fruits are washed three times to brighten the skin and remove any black mold on the skin, dried, and then transferred to the writing "line". Photo: HTTo keep the fruit fresh and prevent it from wilting quickly, after cutting the stem short, it will be covered with a layer of damp cotton. Photo: HTEach calligraphy letter made of paint after being drawn on the surface of the fruit must be left to dry naturally for 24 hours. Photo: HTEvery day, the worker will add water once to keep the cotton on the grapefruit stem moist, helping the fruit stay fresh longer. Photo: HTCustomers who order calligraphy fruits from the group are mainly friends and regular customers from many years ago and mainly in Vinh city. "The group only accepts to provide the quantity of fruits according to pre-orders and on the 26th of the lunar calendar, we will stop accepting orders to deliver to customers on time. In the following days, the group will switch to writing calligraphy according to the orders of fruit sellers and agents in Vinh city" - Mr. Ho Manh Ha said. Photo: HTThe words that customers order the most are: happiness, prosperity, longevity, peace, wealth, prosperity, fortune, etc. Grapefruit that meets VietGAP standards, has calligraphy and peach blossom decoration, weighs over 2kg, and is balanced and sold for 100,000 VND. Photo: HTSome regular customers come to members' homes to choose fruits and order custom writing. Photo: HTIn addition to writing and decorating grapefruit, Mr. Ho Manh Ha's team also decorates calligraphy on watermelons. Depending on the weight, each fully decorated watermelon costs from 100,000 to 150,000 VND. The watermelons are ordered from VietGAP-standard gardens in the South. Photo: HT
