[Photo] Traditional Mid-Autumn Festival toys "cover" Hang Ma street

NDO - Every Mid-Autumn Festival, Hang Ma Street (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi ) is filled with a variety of toys with eye-catching designs and styles. Besides modern imported products, "domestic" toys are still the top choice of many people.

Traditional toys dye the shops red.

"Every year I go to Hang Ma street to buy traditional lamps. They are my childhood memories, each type is associated with a meaningful story," said Thu Giang (Dong Da district).

The lantern is one of the traditional Mid-Autumn toys. It is so called because every time the wheel shaft is moved, the lantern can spin like a top. All the steps from splitting bamboo, shaving bamboo strips, gluing cellophane and drawing lantern patterns must be done skillfully by hand.

There are many legends about star lanterns, but all of them are related to the sparkling stars in the night sky that children have loved since ancient times. Each lantern has 5 petals, symbolizing the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth. Therefore, star lanterns symbolize the harmony and balance of relationships in life between people and between people and all things.

Carp lanterns originate from the legend of carp becoming a spirit. Long ago, in a village along the river, a carp suddenly appeared and caught people every full moon of the 8th lunar month. After being told by a monk, the villagers covered bamboo strips with cloth to form a large carp. Thinking that it was the home of a fellow carp, the spirit carp left. Thanks to that, the villagers were safe.

The paper doctors are carefully packaged by stores. The price of each one ranges from 120,000 to 150,000 VND. This is an indispensable item in the traditional Vietnamese feast, expressing the wish for children to study well and have a bright future.

The papier-mâché mask in the shape of a local god symbolizes the fullness and purity of the full moon night, and the beginning of a bountiful harvest. Unlike cheap plastic masks from China, papier-mâché masks are made from safe paper. They are torn into pieces and then stacked on top of each other to create thickness and adhesion.

The lion head and frog drum contribute to the vibrant atmosphere of the full moon festival. The red lion head dances gracefully and rhythmically to the thumping sound of the frog drum, bringing both excitement to the dance performance and a prosperous start.

Some animal-shaped lanterns are designed in small sizes, replacing the bamboo frame with plastic bars, with flexible moving joints.

Besides lanterns, lion heads and papier-mâché masks, the figurines with adorable details also attract the attention of both adults and children. Children can mold the animals themselves as they wish, under the guidance of the artisans.

Making a fruit tray for the Mid-Autumn Festival seems simple but requires a lot of effort. To create the product, the ingredients must include glutinous rice flour, white sugar, water, tapioca starch and food coloring, all measured and weighed in the right amounts. The smaller the fruit tray, the more time it takes to make.

Each line on the model of Hang and the jade rabbit is carefully and meticulously sculpted by the artisan. The combination with lotus flowers in the work further highlights the beauty of Vietnamese culture.

The colorful clay figurines made the children unable to resist, so they picked them up and tried to play with them.

Children are taken to the shops by their grandparents and parents to freely choose toys. The atmosphere of shopping before the Mid-Autumn Festival is bustling throughout Hang Ma Street.

Nhandan.vn