[Photo] The unique craft of making horse-riding hats in Phu Gia

Besides its breathtaking natural landscapes, Gia Lai province is also famous for its many traditional craft villages. Prominent among them is the Phu Gia horse-riding conical hat-making village (Xuan An commune), which is 260 years old and still in operation today.

On April 9, 2024, the craft of making horse-riding conical hats in Phu Gia was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the 5th national intangible cultural heritage of Gia Lai province.

The process of making a complete Phu Gia horse-riding hat involves many steps, such as: weaving the frame; threading the frame along the sides; tying the frame; making the brim; tying the crown; embroidering patterns; cutting leaves; pinning the spiral; layering leaves; stitching the hat; splitting the hat; finishing the inner lining; and attaching the shells. Men's and women's hats can be easily distinguished by size. While men's hats are 46cm wide, women's hats are only 42cm wide.

To create a complete and well-made horse-riding hat takes 3 to 5 days, with the frame alone taking 1 to 3 days regardless of its complexity. Bamboo is used to make the hat frame. Before being used, the bamboo is thoroughly peeled, dried, and split into very small, even pieces.

The Phu Gia horse hat is not just a unique and novel handicraft product, but also embodies sacred cultural and historical values.

Inside the hat, artisans will embroider beautiful and meaningful decorative images and patterns, such as delicate floral designs, images of dragons, unicorns, turtles, phoenixes, and auspicious symbols.

According to the villagers, when people mention the horse-riding hat, they immediately think of the image of the swift, resilient, and indomitable Tay Son army. In addition, this hat is flexible and durable, making it very suitable for wearing while riding a horse.

Because this work requires solid skills and intense concentration, it is usually performed directly by older, highly experienced artisans.

Horse-riding hats differ from the hats people wear to the market every day. They have five layers stacked on top of each other, whereas ordinary hats have only one layer, making them thicker, heavier, and more durable. Even without using any chemicals, if the traditional processing method is followed correctly, the hat can last 50 to 70 years.

Phu Gia horse-riding hats are unique traditional handicrafts. They showcase the meticulousness, attention to detail, and artistry in every aspect of their creation. To produce these hats, Phu Gia hatmakers inherit a love for the traditional craft from their ancestors and incorporate their own unique innovations into each product.

Last May, Mr. Do Van Lan was awarded the title of Outstanding Artisan by the President of Vietnam. Recently, he was honored as one of the outstanding exemplary individuals at the Gia Lai Provincial Patriotic Emulation Congress for the period 2020-2025 for his contributions to preserving and promoting the value of the Phu Gia horse-riding conical hat making craft.

In Phu Gia village, there are two types of conical hats: The ordinary hat has an open crown with a cluster of colorful threads fluttering like a flower on top, and is relatively inexpensive, costing from 40,000 to 50,000 VND per hat. Hats made according to traditional designs cost from 300,000 to 500,000 VND per hat, and can be more expensive depending on size and patterns.

Distinguished artisan Do Van Lan and his colleagues diligently and tirelessly keep the "flame" of Phu Gia horse-riding hat making alive every day. He hopes that in the future, he will pass on his skills to many young people with high expertise so that they can gradually take over from him in preserving and developing this traditional craft.

THUY NGUYEN-TUAN DUNG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/anh-doc-dao-nghe-cham-non-ngua-phu-gia-post913701.html