Preserving the soul of Chuong conical hats in the midst of modern life

VHO - Amidst the hustle and bustle of urban life, when modern constructions spring up and machines gradually replace the skillful hands of craftsmen, there is still a place quietly going against the flow of time. That is Chuong conical hat village.

Chuong village conical hats are famous for their sophistication and softness.

Located on Lang Chuong Street, Thanh Oai Commune, about 30km south of Hanoi center, Chuong Village has long been known as the cradle of traditional conical hat making.

Here, the hat making profession has existed for hundreds of years, closely associated with the lives of the people of Chuong village.

With the modern pace of life, traditional hats are rarely used in people's daily lives.

Chuong village’s conical hats have long been famous for their rare sophistication and softness. According to the artisans here, to make a beautiful and durable hat, the craftsman not only needs skillful hands but also must be meticulous in every step of selection.

From choosing the mold so that the hat shape is symmetrical, the roof is harmonious, to choosing each circle around the hat to be round and sturdy.

People in Chuong conical hat village also have to find ways to adapt to preserve their traditional profession.

Leaves, spathes, rings, fishing line or needles – any material must be beautiful, clean and up to standard.

A complete Chuong conical hat must go through 7 elaborate stages, each stage conveying the meticulousness and dedication of the craftsman.

People in Chuong village said that the leaves are taken from Huong Son forest ( Ha Tinh ), then crushed with sand and dried in the sun for 2-3 days on the dike.

Providing experiences for tourists is also one of the activities to preserve and promote traditional crafts in Chuong village.

When the leaves are white, the first step is to dry them with sulfur, release them, and split them. This completes the first step. Ironing the leaves is the second step, removing the rings (making the cone shine) is the third step, spinning the cone (building the cone frame) is the fourth step, towering the cone (arranging the leaves on the frame and building the shape) is the fifth step, nesting the cone (inserting a layer of bracts or paper between the two layers of leaves to keep the cone out of the light) is the sixth step, and finally the last step is cracking the cone (sewing the cone).

It usually takes about 6 hours to make a beautiful and durable hat.

Tourists are told about traditional crafts and instructed on how to make conical hats.

Thanks to the meticulousness and carefulness of the craftsmen, the Chuong conical hat is not only durable and beautiful but also has a graceful and gentle appearance.

In addition to its function of protecting against rain and sun, and being an item associated with the productive life of workers, today, the conical hat has become a cultural symbol, associated with the image of graceful and industrious Vietnamese women.

In the flowing ao dai, under the tilted conical hat, traditional beauty is fully enhanced.

Ms. Ta Thu Huong, a person who still maintains the profession and is passionate about it here, said that when talking about Vietnamese women, it is impossible not to mention the ao dai and conical hats.

In the past, the traditional conical hat not only protected from the sun and rain but also served as a fan, a water scoop, a basket for storing things, etc.

Visitors can make hats themselves.

Until now, women are always associated with long dresses in the same color as the colorful hats.

Therefore, although hat making does not bring in as much income as other jobs, many families in Chuong village still persevere in keeping the profession as if preserving a part of their homeland.

For them, every needle and thread is not simply to make a product, but also to preserve ancestral memories and cultural pride.

Conical hats are one of the souvenirs that tourists look to buy as gifts when traveling to Vietnam.

“I was born and raised in a traditional craft village. My grandparents and parents had a profession, and when they got married, they also had a profession. When I was 7 years old, I followed my parents to learn hat making and this year I am 57 years old, 50 years of my life in the profession,” said Ms. Ta Thu Huong.

Currently, local authorities and organizations such as the Women's Union and Youth Union have implemented many programs to restore and promote the craft village, bringing Chuong hats to fairs, OCOP programs and experiential tours.

Chuong villagers create new hat designs such as tourist hats, decorative hats, and souvenir hats to bring traditional hats into modern life.

Many young people have also started to return to learn the trade, open workshops, and create new hat designs such as tourist hats, decorative hats, and souvenir hats to bring traditional hats into modern life.

Chuong Village is also oriented to become an experiential tourism destination, with the model "A day as a hat maker", where visitors can iron leaves and sew hats themselves to better understand the work of ancient artisans.

In the digital age, many artisans have begun to promote Chuong conical hats on social networks and e-commerce platforms, opening up a new market that is more developed and up to date.

This is the way for the conical hat to continue telling stories in the midst of modern life.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/giu-hon-non-chuong-giua-nhip-song-hien-dai-174625.html