During the process of formation and development, the Red Dao people have created, preserved and developed distinct cultural values. In particular, the children's headdress is one of the factors that create uniqueness and distinction, strongly expressing the cultural identity of the Red Dao people.
Red Dao children's hats are made very elaborately and completely by traditional handcraft methods. Usually, adults in the family prepare 3-5 hats for children about to be born. The hats are often decorated by mothers and grandmothers with different sizes so that they can be worn by children even when they are older.
The hat is divided into two different parts: the body of the hat and the top of the hat. The body of the hat is made from a rectangular piece of black velvet (formerly indigo fabric), meticulously embroidered with patterns such as birds, plants, triangles, rhombuses... These patterns not only show aesthetics but also clearly express the people's life attached to nature, the desire to be protected by Mother Nature and that newborn children protected by the earth and sky will be less likely to get sick. After finishing the embroidery, the women skillfully sew the two ends of the fabric together to create the shape of the hat.
Once the body of the hat is completed, mothers sew a piece of traditional peacock fabric around the body, then gather it at the top to form a hat. This part is sewn entirely with red thread, hidden inside so that the stitches are not visible. Peacock fabric represents wealth and prosperity, expressing the wishes of adults for the child, hoping that the child will grow up to have a prosperous and fulfilling life.
Unlike the Tay, Nung, Mong ethnic groups, the Red Dao baby's hat is elaborately decorated, colorful, and has a distinct ethnic identity. In addition to being embroidered with many patterns, the hat is also decorated with many round cotton balls, handmade from wool and only using red cotton wool. Usually, along the body of the hat are attached 3 cotton balls the size of a fist, interspersed with sparkling silver flowers on the face inlaid with star, triangle, and wavy patterns. Interspersed with the white silver pieces are strings of beads dyed in blue, red, purple, and yellow to add color to the hat. The top of the hat is a large cotton ball that covers the entire body of the hat, revealing only the delicate hand-embroidered motifs of the maker. Behind the hat is attached a small strip of meticulously embroidered fabric, with 3 silver flowers called "goan tai" (in Red Dao language) attached on top with the wish that the child will have a peaceful, prosperous, and lucky life when he grows up.
Ms. Ly Mui Man, Thuong Thac hamlet, Tam Kim commune (Nguyen Binh) shared: Making children's hats looks simple but is much more elaborate and complicated than adult costumes. In addition to being used as a decoration, a dress and showing the care of adults for the best things for the child, the hat also has the function of keeping warm, avoiding cold wind and keeping the baby's head round and not deformed. In particular, the Dao people avoid touching children's heads, because the head is where the human soul resides. Therefore, the traditional headdress for children also covers the fontanel and ward off evil spirits... Because of the many layers of meaning, the elaborateness and meticulousness of the maker, the current selling price of a hat fluctuates over 1 million VND.
Nowadays, although life has changed a lot, most of the Red Dao people still maintain many traditional customs, practices and cultures. It seems that any Red Dao woman knows how to sew clothes for the whole family, and the children's hats are the part of the outfit with the most difficult design and pattern to express. The more carefully and meticulously embroidered the hat is, the more talented and skillful the woman is. And the image of a lovely Red Dao baby being carried on the back of her mother to the fields and to the market has become a unique cultural feature of the people here.
Thanh Tu/Dien Bien Phu Newspaper
Source: https://baophutho.vn/doc-dao-chiec-mu-cua-tre-em-dao-do-226692.htm
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