“Breathing life” into traditional lion heads

Modern toys are increasingly available on the market, but traditional lion heads are still loved and sought after by many people every Mid-Autumn Festival. Somewhere, one can still see the image of artisans diligently sewing each stitch, giving each drawing a “soul” to the lion heads.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tang, An Le commune (Quynh Phu) makes traditional lion heads.

For many days now, the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere has been on every street corner and village road, which is also the time when Mr. Nguyen Van Tang's small shop in Dong Bang town, An Le commune (Quynh Phu) is bustling with customers. With just a few traditional lion heads displayed in front of his house, it has made everyone passing by stop to look and take pictures.

Although he lives in Thai Giang commune (Thai Thuy), Mr. Tran Quang The still traveled to An Le commune early to order a lion head from Mr. Tang.

“The traditional Mid-Autumn Festival cannot be without a lion dance performance for the children to watch. A few years ago, I was introduced to it by everyone so I came here to buy it. Because it is handmade, Mr. Tang's lion heads are not only durable and beautiful, preserving the traditional national features but also have a more reasonable price compared to other places. This year we want to have another pair of lions to serve the people, the children should come to his house to buy to support him,” Mr. The shared.

With more than 20 years of experience in this profession, Mr. Tang is considered one of the few "artisans" who still maintain the traditional lion head making profession in the province. After retiring from his job in the locality, he had more time to learn more about how to make lion heads through TV, newspapers and buy materials to make them for the village's cultural and festival programs. Searching through his memory for the image of the newspaper-wrapped lion head that his father had made before, Mr. Tang combined it to create a product with his own unique style. Since then, lion heads bearing Mr. Tang's brand were born and were welcomed and highly appreciated by the people.

Customers come to buy lion heads from Mr. Nguyen Van Tang.

According to Mr. Tang, to make a traditional lion head, first you have to find a bamboo frame that is suitable and free of termites to ensure durability. Building the frame is the most difficult step, requiring the craftsman's thinking about shapes. If the frame is not symmetrical, the lion head will be skewed and lack aesthetics. To conquer demanding customers, the lion head must be light when held in the hand, move flexibly, and have a very large space inside, making the lion dancer feel comfortable. In particular, all of Mr. Tang's lion heads are completely covered with fabric. Each layer of fabric is aligned and sewn by hand precisely to avoid shifting and maintain durability over time.

Revealing the secret to “breathing life” into the lion heads, Mr. Tang shared: The eyes are what create the majestic look of the lion. To make satisfactory eyes, I had to try many materials, but foam is still the most suitable material. The eyes will be covered with a layer of nylon on the outside, painted and then painted by hand, the eyelids are made separately, the eye mechanism opens and closes flexibly. The decorative motifs on the lion head are also cleverly stylized by Mr. Tang from the Dong Son bronze drum patterns, bringing a sense of closeness.

Traditional toys are elaborately made and contain many cultural values, but they still cannot avoid competition in the market. Artisans are becoming rarer, and traditional crafts are gradually disappearing.

Previously, the family of Ms. Hoang Thi Bich, Tam Quang commune (Vu Thu) was also considered a famous traditional lion head production facility. However, with the competition of new and modern products, her family could not maintain production.

“In the past, my family used used paper to make traditional lion heads. Now the demand for lion heads from customers and children is much higher than before. The lion heads must be eye-catching, have lights and even have fun sounds. No one buys the traditional lion heads that are made,” said Ms. Bich.

Traditional lion head product of Ms. Hoang Thi Bich's family, Tam Quang commune (Thai Binh city).

Lion heads, star lanterns... are not simply entertainment toys but also carry the depth of Vietnamese culture. They are also the artistic quintessence that our ancestors left for many generations. Hopefully, traditional toys will continue to be preserved and brought closer to young people, contributing to preserving the beauty of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival of the nation.

Trinh Cuong - Nguyen Trieu

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