Chuong conical hat village - Chuong conical hat village

Village » Village handicraft

hopviettravel - 2009/12/19, 07:55 GMT+7 - Total view: 1136

Chuong conical hat village

If you look at a hat, it seems that it is easily to make. It is wrong!To make a proper hat it is not only required the maker's talent butalso their experience.

Bamboo cataphyll must be split intovery thin strings during the dry season. They then must be quicklysubmerged in water to preclude tearing and breaking. Main rings (thelargest) must be even, smooth and shiny. The most sophisticated work istreading the palm material. The makers buy dark green palms, then cleanthem by sand and work them with a light touch or otherwhile they willtear. After the step of treading the palms, they sun-season them. Thepalm will go from dark green to white. The stronger the sun the whiterthe palms will become. Before using the palms, makers expose thembriefly to sulfur to make them whiter and to preserve the color.Finally, before using them, they are exposed to frost to make themsoft, then they are split and ironed. From the palms and ring, usingsilk thread, you only to have to sew it together. It is easy to saythan to do. Sewing and decorating are very sophisticated too. You haveto sew small and even stitches what mean you need time and have to bevery patience. For professional purposes, Chuong hat-makers do notaccomplish all the stages but specialize - building upon a frame madesomewhere else. The local hat-makers complete the hats with anaesthetic appeal suitable to customer's taste.

Chuonghats are different from hats of other provinces which are revolved onlytwo times, with the second being in a reverse direction, Chuongvillage's hats are revolved three times, two times with white palm andonce with bamboo cataphyll. Thank to the addition layer of bamboocataphyll, Chuong hats are more solid and durable. Show them whatrevolve mean.
Since the first images of Non were etched into NgocLu bronzes drums 3000 years ago, it has become an inseparablemulti-purpose item for Vietnamese women. It is used as a shield toprotect them from sun and rain, a glass to get water when they arethirsty, a fan when they are hot, and a basket when they have nothingelse with them to carry things.
Due to its popularity, each regionin Vietnam has, for itself, a well-known non-making village. The non ofthe Tay ethnic group has a distinctive red colour, while Non in ThanhHoa differs from others with its 20-hem frame. Hue's Non is thin andelegant, in contrast with the thickness of those from Binh Dinh.
Chuongartisans make two types of Non: the traditional flat-top, known as Nonquai thao, and the cone-shaped Xuan Kieu that appeared in the 1930's.
Womenin the village learn to make Non since as teenagers. Anywhere andanytime, you can find them wrapped up in their work, stitching thewhite palm leaves.
"Non making is work of painstaking precision", said 83 year-old Le Thi Viet, the oldest master of Chuong village.
Palmleaves, the raw material of Non are bought from Thanh Hoa and QuangBinh in the Central region, or Phu Tho and Son La in the North. Afterbeing sun dried, the leaves are flattened by hand, and then ironed witha hot ploughshare until they turn absolutely white.
The skeleton ofNon is formed by round bamboo hems. A Chuong village Non always has 16hems, to make it firm and easily identified among others.
It is saidby another 90 year-old artisan that in the past Chuong village producedthree types of the hats; Non ba tam, Non nho and Non dau. The classicNon was large and flat, with a small hummock in the centre that fitsthe head.

Vietnamese women used to wear the traditionalthree-tailed or seven-tailed dress. The tails come in various tints:they may have the colour of a peach blossom, a day-lily flower, aTonkin bunch, or a lemon.
In the old days, Non quai thao weresported with a pair of buffalo-leather bow shoes or painted woodenclogs. A light pink or yellow belt makes a perfect match duringfestivals.

In the late half of 20th century, the flat-top hatwas gradually replaced by the cone-shape, just as change has affectedthe basic ingredient; the palm leave. A new material, lui leaves fromNghe Tinh and Quang Binh province, make each Non Chuong lighter, andtherefore more elegant.

Non are no longer built from the groundup by the tinkers of Chuong village. The process is divided intoseveral phases, and the less important parts, such as skeletons andedges, are now farmed out to nearby villages. Todays Chuong artisansonly undertake the roofing and sewing.

Such specialisation,however, may be a little misplaced, as women of modern times find Nonless than practical for day to day life in the urban environment.

But the little girls of Chuong village are still sewing Non, and the hearth of the Non will always be warm.

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