Fire lighter
The Red Dao people in Tan Quang were originally resettled people from Trung Khanh commune (Na Hang) who migrated to Tuyen Quang Hydropower Plant.
When they first returned to their new hometowns, there were women who were only in their twenties, and there were also those who had become grandmothers and mothers. On the first day back, in the drizzly afternoons of the last days of the year like today, many people hid their sighs and nostalgia for their old hometowns in each embroidery on their dresses, as a way to resolve their feelings when having to leave their "birthplace".
The same goes for Ms. Trieu Thi Lan. Ms. Lan was nearly 40 at that time - the age when people are afraid to go out to look for job opportunities but still have many worries about making a living. At first, like many people, she just sat on the porch. But gradually, after being granted land by the State and getting used to the new lifestyle, she said: I regret not moving sooner. The land is fertile, the agricultural products are closer to the market. Especially for children and young people, the opportunities to go to school and work are convenient...
The old wooden houses that were once moved from the countryside have now, after more than 20 years, been gradually replaced by houses built with the fragrant smell of paint and mortar. The new rhythm of life over 20 years has swept Mrs. Lan, as well as the people of Tan Quang, away... to a more modern, more prosperous, and more comfortable life.
Now, when everything has gradually stabilized, Mrs. Lan was startled when the image of women sitting on the porch embroidering clothes gradually disappeared. "If nothing is done, those who know how to embroider will take the craft with them to their ancestors" - Thinking so, even though she did not participate in the Executive Committee of the Women's Association, nor participate in any work in the village, Mrs. Lan still stood up to gather women and sisters to establish a group to embroider traditional Dao ethnic costumes.
Members of the Traditional Costume Embroidery Team in Tan Quang village, Hoang Khai commune
New sound
Although only established in October 2024, the embroidery group in Tan Quang has attracted 17 members. The women have all been proficient in embroidery since they were 14 or 15 years old.
In the memories of the members of the group, the Red Dao people are very good at embroidering patterns on their costumes. In addition to the time spent in the fields, not only the elderly but also the young girls always had indigo-dyed cloth in their hands, along with needles and threads, sitting together to embroider, exchanging with each other about embroidery patterns and creating new patterns together.
The unique thing about Red Dao embroidery is that it is done on the wrong side of the fabric, but the pattern on the right side appears as beautiful and precise as a carefully printed picture.
Mrs. La Thi Vien said: I don't know which generation passed this technique down, but I know that when I grew up, my grandmother and mother taught me how to look at the wrong side of the fabric to embroider pine trees, diamond fruits, snowflakes... on the wrong side of the fabric, but still even and beautiful as if embroidering on the front of the fabric. Embroidered products are special to them because they show the creativity, ingenuity and cultural characteristics of the ethnic group. The patterns used in the embroidery profession are inspired by the community's daily work life or the crops and livestock associated with their lives.
Embroidering a Red Dao costume is very elaborate and time-consuming. Just counting the two trouser legs, it takes more than 2 months to completely embroider.
That's why Red Dao women in Tan Quang, in their free time, sit on the porch, quickly embroidering new shirts and pants so they have something to wear on Tet.
Now that they have established the Cooperative, they not only embroider their own clothes, but have also turned their colorful squares of fabric into commercial products.
Mrs. Lan said: We know how to embroider small squares of fabric to make bags, wallets, scarves... to sell. In the group, there is Ms. Trieu Thi Hai who is proficient in sewing.
The small sewing machine by Ms. Trieu Thi Hai's window hardly gets any rest during the last days of the year. Ms. Hai laughs, her laughter ringing in the spring breeze: With the embroidery team, my job is easier. Before, I was the only one who could embroider and tailor, and sometimes I could only make 1-2 sets a year, but now it's faster. She assigns the sisters in the embroidery team to embroider the right pant leg, the left pant leg. Some embroider the bib, some embroider the scarf... In no time, a complete set of clothes is born.
With the advent of phones, and young people in the village setting up YouTube channels... Red Dao embroidery products in Tan Quang have entered everyday life more quickly and easily.
“Winter has passed, we welcome Spring/ Flowers and grasses bloom brilliantly, trees sprout new buds/ Together we plant rice and corn/ Everyone in the village is excited to welcome the joy of a good harvest...”.
Mrs. Lan sang the Pao Dung song that she had just learned not long ago. In addition to embroidery, the Red Dao people in Tan Quang are also learning to sing Pao Dung, dance with bells, and dance with the Khen so that this Spring, their singing and music will resonate with a new sound: the sound of joy and hope.
Tran Lien (Tuyen Quang Newspaper)
Source: https://baophutho.vn/nhung-nguoi-theu-mua-xuan-len-ao-225112.htm
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