Preserving the national soul through traditional toys

Every Mid-Autumn Festival, Ong Hao village (Lieu Xa commune, Yen My district, Hung Yen province) is bustling with the atmosphere of making handicrafts. Here, each family and each generation still diligently produces simple traditional toys, containing the good cultural values ​​of the nation.

After being covered with paper and dried, the masks will be painted and carved with funny animal shapes. (Photo: Lijiang)

While beautiful, modern toys are constantly being created, traditional Mid-Autumn toys in Ong Hao village are still being produced, wholeheartedly preserving the national spirit. For the people here, these products are the passion and art passed down through many generations.

Skillful hands

According to the village elders, the toy making profession here has existed since the late 80s and early 90s of the last century.

Initially, people only made simple toys for children in the area. However, with skillful hands and creativity, workers in Ong Hao village gradually developed this profession into a large-scale production industry, providing toys that bring joy to millions of children across the country.

From simple materials such as bamboo, cardboard, and even scrap paper, artisans in craft villages have "magically" transformed them into colorful, eye-catching Mid-Autumn toys.

The papier-mâché mask is one of the most typical products of the village. To complete a papier-mâché mask, it must go through three basic stages: molding, drying and painting.

Cement mask molds are made to simulate traditional characters in Vietnamese folklore such as Ong Dia, Chu Teu, and funny animals.

Then, using natural materials such as cardboard, recycled newspaper, and glue made from cassava starch, each mask is shaped by pasting cardboard and white paper onto a pre-made mold.

Once finished, the masks are left out to dry in the sun, the drying time depending on the weather.

After drying, the mask is carved with eyes and the painting process begins. This is the process of “breathing life” into each color stroke by the craftsman, each layer of paint is continuously applied one after another meticulously and carefully.

From inanimate materials, through the "magic" of artisans of Ong Hao craft village, papier-mâché masks appear vivid, graceful and humorous, like the unmistakable cultural features of the Vietnamese people.

Mr. Vu Huy Dong, one of the long-time professionals in the village, who has experienced many ups and downs in the profession, said that he has always tried to preserve and develop the traditional cultural values ​​left by his ancestors.

However, to be able to compete with modern toys with diverse designs and features, Mr. Dong must constantly research and improve to make the traditional toy products more and more attractive.

People in Ong Hao craft village are busy preparing goods for the Mid-Autumn Festival. (Photo: Le Giang)

In addition to traditional masks with images of Uncle Teu, Chi Pheo, and cartoon characters, he regularly updates new designs that are popular on the Internet to diversify products and meet customer tastes.

He shared: “To meet current tastes, my family has innovated about 20 different designs, associated with familiar folk images or the 12 zodiac animals. Besides, we always pay attention to harmonizing traditional and modern elements so that new products can keep up with the trend while still maintaining the old identity.”

In addition to masks, drums, an early product of Ong Hao village, are equally famous. The round drums resemble the full moon on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and the bustling sound of pine trees when carrying lanterns creates excitement for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also a sound associated with the childhood of many people.

Mr. Vu Van Hoi, the third generation of a family with a tradition of making drums, shared: "To make traditional drums, the craftsman must spend nearly a year preparing, this year making pillows for next year."

He said that the work usually starts in September. The main craftsman buys bodhi and fat wood, cuts them into rings, carves them, and turns them into drum bodies. He buys buffalo hide, splits it into even pieces, and soaks it in lime water to bleach the color for about 5-7 days before taking it out.

During that time, the skin must be turned over every 1-2 days so that the lime water can soak in evenly, otherwise the skin will become stained. After being taken out, the buffalo skin is dried, cut into round pieces to make the drum face, then assembled with the drum body - this step is called covering the drum. After covering the drum, it is dried again, then painted and painted with eye-catching patterns.

A young villager studies to continue the profession. (Photo: Le Giang)

Revival of folk toys

Mid-Autumn Festival is here again, folk toys from small villages are being brought to all parts of the country and when the bright lanterns light up the streets, somewhere in the masks, the bustling drums sound to express the national spirit that is always persistent and alive.

The toys of Ong Hao village are not only toys, but also a symbol of perseverance, creativity, preserving a part of the nation's soul. At the same time, they are a bridge between generations, bringing joy to children and pride to artisans.

Despite its long tradition, Ong Hao craft village cannot avoid difficulties in the modern context.

Faced with the strong trend of industrialization, especially imported products from foreign countries with diverse designs and low prices, the traditional toy making profession is gradually losing the attention of the younger generation.

In addition, the manual process requires a lot of time and effort but the income is not high, causing many people in the village to quit the profession to look for other jobs.

Mr. Vu Huy Dong, who has spent more than 40 years making traditional toys, meticulously "breathes life into the product through each stroke". (Photo: Le Giang)

However, currently in Ong Hao village, some production facilities have been smart in combining production with practical experience activities for students and tourists.

Every year, especially near the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ong Hao village often welcomes domestic and foreign tourists to visit and experience.

Here, visitors are introduced to the craft village, visit the production process and participate in some stages of making traditional toys.

Although time passes, life has many changes, maintaining and developing craft villages becomes more difficult. However, there are still dedicated artisans like Mr. Dong and Mr. Hoi, who are determined to keep their craft, not only for their livelihood but also for their love and desire to "revive" folk toys, contributing to affirming that culture is the vitality of the nation, just as the spirit of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong once said "If culture exists, the nation exists".

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/giu-hon-dan-toc-qua-do-choi-truyen-thong-286152.html