Weaving hammocks from Cu Lao Cham - National Heritage

On August 5, news from the People's Committee of Hoi An City (Quang Nam Province) said that the opening ceremony of the "Cu Lao Cham - Red Corn Season" Festival 2024 and the recognition of the national intangible cultural heritage title for the traditional craft of weaving corn hammocks in Cu Lao Cham will take place at 7:30 p.m. on August 6 at Tan Hiep island commune.

This is an activity within the series of activities of the Sea Festival "Hoi An - Summer Emotions 2024", responding to the National Biodiversity Restoration Year and National Tourism Year 2024.

Artisans in Cu Lao Cham are weaving hammocks made from parasol trees. Photo: QNO

The event will be held from August 5 to 11 (previously planned from July 19 to 25), with main activities: Photo exhibition and sightseeing tour of "Parasol Flower Garden"; Display of products and demonstration of parasol hammock weaving; Cu Lao night program; Cu Lao Cham product connection market "Island delicacies"; Boat racing across Tan Hiep commune...

Weaving hammocks from parasol trees on Cu Lao Cham Island, Tan Hiep Commune, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, is a typical craft, representing the unique and long-standing culture of the indigenous people.

The hammock is made from the red parasol tree (Firmiana Colorata R. Br) also known as forest bo or trom mau - a woody plant with dark green leaves, bright red flowers in the summer, growing abundantly on steep cliffs.

Making a hammock requires many complicated steps, completely by hand. First, the weaver chooses a straight parasol tree, the trunk is about the size of a wrist or smaller, then cuts it down, beats it to get the bark, soaks it in spring water to rot the hard bark, then takes out the opaque white fiber layer (also called copper fiber) inside, washes it, and dries it in the sun for about one day.

When the fibers are dry and turn pure white and shiny, they are ready to be stripped and spun into yarn and woven into hammocks. It takes 1.5 - 2 months to complete a hammock.

The parasol hammock is woven from very strong parasol ropes and has many hammock eyes. Depending on the size of the hammock, people divide it into 3 types: three-string hammock, four-string hammock and six-string hammock. Three-string hammock consists of 3 tao ropes (each hammock eye has 3 ropes and is called tao rope), four-string hammock consists of 4 ropes and six-string hammock consists of 6 ropes.

The parasol hammock is quite durable, if properly preserved, the lifespan of the hammock is from 15 to 20 years. Unlike nylon hammocks, parasol hammocks are cool in summer and warm in winter. These characteristics contribute to the unique value of the parasol hammock in Cu Lao Cham.

Parasol trees grow on the top of Cu Lao Cham mountain. Photo: DDK

Not only having a purely material value, the parasol hammock is also closely associated with the formation and development of the land, attached to and containing the thoughts and feelings of the islanders.

The recognition of the national intangible cultural heritage for the craft of weaving parasol hammocks is a recognition and honor of the traditional craft, the creativity of local residents in creating the craft and constantly innovating, creating, preserving, transmitting, and creating tourism products.

The Vu

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nghe-dan-vong-ngo-dong-o-cu-lao-cham--di-san-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-post306414.html