Yen Bai - The Dao Quan Trang ethnic group in Yen Bai province has an extremely unique lifestyle and culture, which is one of the pieces that make up the diversity in the cultural colors of the ethnic groups in Vietnam. Along with many long-standing customs and practices rich in identity, the traditional costumes of the Dao Quan Trang people have a distinct color, not mixed with any other ethnic group, are the crystallization of cultural quintessence created by women and constantly perfected to suit the natural conditions where the Dao Quan Trang people live, the ethnic tastes and achieve high aesthetic value.
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Dao ethnic women in white pants in traditional costumes |
>> Unique costumes of the Red Dao people in Yen Bai
If the Red Dao people express their culture through their mainly red costumes and live in earthen houses, the White Pants Dao people live in stilt houses and are immediately recognizable by their white pants that are not confused with any other Dao group. Basically, the costumes of the White Pants Dao people include: women's costumes, men's costumes, children's costumes, shaman costumes, bride and groom costumes, and funeral costumes. Each costume is shaped and decorated in its own unique style, bearing the strong mark of the ethnic group.
Ms. Hoang Thi Cuu - Dong Ty village, Phuc An commune, Yen Binh district said: "For Dao women in white pants, one of the most important skills to learn is sewing. Girls from the age of 10 are taught by their grandmothers and mothers to embroider, sew, and teach them needlework and stitches from the simplest to the most difficult and sophisticated techniques so that when they grow up, they can sew traditional costumes for themselves, their husbands and children." To make a Dao woman's costume, it goes through many processes such as: planting cotton, weaving and dyeing fabric, cutting and sewing, creating decorative shapes, and decorative arts on the costume.
The white-pants Dao women's costume includes: headscarf, long dress, bib, pants, leggings, belt, neckband (pink thread). Each part of the female costume is embroidered with patterns and decorated with fabric. The decorative patterns on the white-pants Dao costumes are inspired by nature, people, religious activities, and production labor and have profound symbolic values that express the ethnic group's philosophy of life and world view. Each type of pattern included in the costume has its own symbolic meaning, conveying thoughts, feelings, and aspirations for a beautiful, happy life, expressing the morality of drinking water and remembering its source, remembering ancestors and origins.
The Dao women's ao dai has white pants indigo, sewn with a split chest, no buttons, knee-length, wide sleeves, and decorated with borders. The ao dai is worn with an embroidered brassiere. The body of the ao dai is embroidered with a few motifs on the horizontal part of the body and the corners of the hem. The small collar is embroidered with two parallel lines in red thread, the two front panels from the collar to the lower hem of the ao dai are made of white, red or blue fabric sewn opposite each other. The hem, sleeves and hem are sewn with white thread. There are two types of ao dai for the elderly and for the young. For the elderly from middle age and older, the embroidered patterns on the ao dai are slightly smaller than the patterns on the ao dai of the young.
Dao people in white pants in the Shrimp basket weaving competition during the Harvest Festival
Men's clothing is simpler than women's, including: a head scarf, shirt and pants. The Dao Quan Trang men's clothing includes two types: a short shirt for daily work and a long shirt for important occasions such as holidays or weddings.
The main color of the white pants Dao people's costumes is indigo. This is the main color of the costume that helps to connect the colors decorated on the costume and highlight the patterns, neutralizing the decorative colors. Besides, indigo gives the wearer a feeling of warmth, in harmony with the nature of the mountains and forests. Indigo is also highly applicable because in a hard working life, wearing indigo clothes rarely reveals the stains of mud.
The accent colors used to decorate the background color in the white-pants Dao people's costumes are red, white, and black. Although the area is small, the decorative details are the soul of the costume. In the white-pants Dao people's costumes, the most prominent detail is the black head scarf with the image of 8-pointed stars. The image of 8-pointed stars also appears in almost all the decorative motifs on the flaps, chests, etc.
The highlight of the Dao white pants costume is the indigo or red silk belt about 1.5m long, 3-4cm wide, embroidered with many motifs in red, black and yellow thread. The pants of Dao white pants women reach mid-calf, have large hems, and a wide waistband. The leggings are made of indigo-dyed elastic fabric, with red fabric edges, wrapped from the ankles to the knees and then tied. To make the costume more beautiful and attractive, Dao white pants women also combine it with jewelry such as silver necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings. From the practical value to the artistic value of the costume, it reflects the extremely unique aesthetic thinking of the Dao white pants.
Meritorious artisan Hoang Huu Dinh - Yen Thanh commune, Yen Binh district said: "Currently, a part of the Dao people in white pants have switched to wearing Western clothes on normal days. This is also an inevitable trend of many ethnic minorities because of the convenience and popularity of Western clothes. However, during festivals, and important ceremonies of families, clans, and communities, without anyone telling anyone, all Dao people in white pants wear traditional costumes. Traditional costumes are as attached as flesh and blood, and have become an important cultural element of the Dao people in white pants in the past, present, and future."
Although there have been many changes and disruptions due to modern culture, the costumes of the Dao people in Yen Bai still retain intact humanistic values in the cultural picture of the Vietnamese ethnic community.
Thanh Chi
Source: http://baoyenbai.com.vn/16/345836/Gia-tri-nghe-thuat-tr111ng-trang-phuc-nguoi-Dao-quan-trang.aspx
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