Keeping the craft of making papier-mâché masks

These days, Mrs. Dang Huong Lan (63 years old) and her husband in lane 73 Hang Than street are busy making papier-mâché masks to supply the market in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ms. Lan said that making papier-mâché masks is a family tradition. Since she was 19 years old, her parents have taught her how to make a mask, and all the steps are done by hand.

According to Ms. Lan, after completing the steps of creating the mask, the next step is to dry it in the sun. Do not use a dryer to avoid deformation or warping. The final step is to color and decorate each mask.

The papier-mâché masks were painstakingly created by Ms. Dang Huong Lan and her husband using sheets of paper. Photo: Hoang Loc

"Every day, I can make about 12 masks. Large masks like lion heads, unicorn heads, etc. take more time to make. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, over 2,000 masks are completed and sold to customers," Ms. Lan added.

According to Ms. Lan, maintaining the papier-mâché mask making profession is not only for economic purposes, but also to preserve and convey the quintessence of a traditional profession, so she continues to make papier-mâché masks until her health no longer allows it.

As a loyal customer, Ms. Nguyen Bich Ngoc (Ha Dong, Hanoi) said that papier-mâché masks are traditional, non-toxic toys that have been with her throughout her childhood and now she always prioritizes buying them for her children to play with.

According to Ms. Ngoc, in recent years, the designs of papier-mâché masks have become more diverse and abundant, creating more interest for children and giving them more freedom to choose.

"Each papier-mâché mask that the children use during the Mid-Autumn Festival also helps preserve the traditional culture of our ancestors," Ms. Ngoc added.

Customers can come and buy papier-mâché masks and decorate them themselves to their liking. Photo: Character provided.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Manh, the owner of a shop on Hang Ma Street, said that every Mid-Autumn Festival, customers ask to buy papier-mâché masks. Each time, he sells more than a hundred of them, but there is always a shortage of goods because Mrs. Lan's papier-mâché masks are in very limited quantity.

According to Mr. Manh, for older tourists or those who have experienced traditional culture since childhood, papier-mâché masks can evoke beautiful memories and bring a sense of nostalgia.

Source: https://laodong.vn/kinh-doanh/giu-nghe-lam-mat-na-giay-boi-1388925.ldo