Unique art of printing patterns on Dao Tien people's costumes

Traditional costumes of Vietnam's ethnic minorities are cultural heritages that have existed for thousands of years through the process of production and cultural activities, bearing strong identities and containing artistic and historical values... of the ethnic groups. The traditional costumes of the Dao Tien people are the same, not too bright with the main color being indigo, mixed with red and delicate patterns that have created uniqueness. What makes the difference is the art of printing patterns with beeswax on fabric before sewing into a complete costume.

The traditional costumes of the Dao Tien people are not too flashy but always stand out.

The Northern Midlands and Mountains region has many ethnic groups living together, and each ethnic group in each locality has unique features in different community culture. The most noticeable is the costume. If the Thai people often favor patterns of phoenixes and peach blossoms; the Mong people often use spiral, square, rectangular patterns... then the Dao Tien people are famous for their meticulous and sophisticated embroidery patterns, often using geometric motifs, flowers, birds and animals with higher complexity and detail.

The patterns printed on fabrics and costumes are a way to express the ingenuity and meticulousness of Dao women.

Even though they belong to the same Dao ethnic group, each Dao group such as Dao Do, Dao Trang, Dao Lo Gang... has its own distinct features. The main color of the Dao Do is red, with simpler embroidery patterns, while the female costumes of the Dao Tien often have many layers, including shirts, bibs, skirts, leggings, and headscarves, with the main colors being indigo, red, white, and blue.

Traditional costumes of the Dao Tien people stand out with their sophistication and intricacy in every line, color, pattern, and embroidery, showing a diversity of styles, reflecting cultural characteristics imbued with a unique cultural identity. Costumes are also symbols of the identity, history, and beliefs of the community. Patterns and motifs often have spiritual meanings, expressing the desire for a prosperous and happy life.

Meticulous in every line when printing patterns with beeswax

In Coi village, Xuan Son commune, Tan Son district, 100% of households are Dao Tien ethnic people. Living in the core area of ​​Xuan Son National Park, Dao Tien people here still preserve intact the typical cultural features from language, writing, Pao Dung melodies and especially the technique of printing patterns on fabric with beeswax to make traditional costumes. Ms. Trieu Thi Xuan - Dao ethnic person in Coi village said: Since childhood, we have been taught by our grandmothers and mothers how to print beeswax, embroider, and sew costumes. Adults always tell us to learn how to do it, because if we don't know how to do it, when we grow up, we will have nothing, and no one will sell to us.

By the age of 15-16, most Dao girls have mastered the process of printing and sewing dresses. When they get married, their husband's family and relatives only need to look at the dress to know if the bride is skillful or not because the patterns printed on the fabric and dress are a way to show the skill and meticulousness of Dao women.

At the Tourist Information and Support Center, Xuan Son National Park, the traditional costumes of the Dao Tien people are a display product serving tourism activities.

This is a unique cultural feature passed down for many generations in the Dao Tien ethnic community in Coi village. To have fabrics with beautiful patterns, the beeswax making and printing steps are done very elaborately by the people here. After separating the nest, the beeswax will be filtered through clear water, then condensed, dried and divided into small pieces for convenience each time of use. When heating the beeswax to print patterns, it is important to adjust the appropriate dilution. If it is too thick, the wax will not adhere to the fabric, if it is too thin, the printed pattern will be blurred and not beautiful.

Especially during the printing process, the painter must always sit by the fire, dip the pen into the hot beeswax pan and draw each stroke evenly and continuously until the fabric is full. Each pattern printed on the traditional costumes of the Dao people has different meanings: the circle symbolizes the sun; the triangle symbolizes the mountain; the zigzag symbolizes the road; the star symbolizes the sky... contributing to beautifying the cultural life of the Dao Tien women.

A tourist experiences the process of printing patterns with beeswax on fabric.

Ms. Chau Thi Nga - Tour guide at the Tourist Information and Support Center, Xuan Son National Park said: Production tools, musical instruments, dishes and traditional costumes of the Dao and Muong people are displayed and introduced here, always attracting tourists. Many international tourists are interested and want to buy traditional costumes to display or as souvenirs. However, to make a complete costume takes a lot of time, so the price will be high, ranging from about 4-5 million VND/set and not all tourists who want to buy can buy it.

Tourists capture beautiful moments to contribute to promoting culture and tourism in Coi village.

Traditional products and costumes are always present in the daily life of the Dao Tien people in Coi village, not only as a cultural beauty, but also as tourism products and meaningful gifts for visitors from all over the world on their journey to explore and experience this land.

In order to preserve, conserve, and promote the effectiveness of promoting and developing local culture and tourism, many practical and effective measures have been implemented. Among them, bringing the art of beeswax printing and traditional costumes of the Dao Tien people into an interesting and unique experience for tourists is an activity that is attracting domestic and international tourists.

Hoang Giang

Source: https://baophutho.vn/doc-dao-nghe-thuat-in-hoa-van-tren-trang-phuc-nguoi-dao-tien-229362.htm