The unique hat of the Red Dao children.

Throughout their formation and development, the Red Dao people have created, preserved, and developed their unique cultural values. Among these, the children's headwear is one of the elements that creates a unique and distinctive feature, strongly reflecting the cultural identity of the Red Dao ethnic group.

Hats worn by Red Dao children.

The hats worn by children of the Red Dao ethnic group are very elaborate and made entirely by traditional handcrafted methods. Typically, the adults in the family prepare 3-5 hats in advance for the unborn child. The hats are usually decorated by the grandmothers and mothers themselves, in various sizes, so that the children can wear them even when they are older.

The hat is divided into two distinct parts: the body and the crown. The body is made from a rectangular piece of black velvet (formerly indigo) meticulously embroidered with intricate patterns such as birds, plants, triangles, and rhombuses. These patterns not only showcase aesthetic appeal but also clearly express the people's close connection with nature, their desire for protection from Mother Nature, and their wish for newborn children to be less susceptible to illness and disease, surrounded by the elements. After embroidery is complete, the women skillfully sew the two ends of the fabric together to form the hat.

Once the hat body is complete, the mothers sew a piece of traditional peacock-patterned fabric around the body, then gather it at the top to form the hat shape. This part is sewn entirely with red thread, the stitches are hidden inside and not visible. The peacock fabric symbolizes wealth and prosperity, representing the adults' wishes for the child to grow up to have a prosperous and fulfilling life.

Unlike the hats of the Tay, Nung, and Mong ethnic groups, the hats of Red Dao children are elaborately and colorfully decorated, clearly reflecting their ethnic identity. Besides being embroidered with many patterns, the hats are also adorned with numerous round pom-poms, handcrafted from wool, and only using red wool pom-poms. Typically, along the body of the hat are three small, fist-sized pom-poms, interspersed with sparkling silver flowers on the surface inlaid with star, triangle, and wave patterns. Interspersed among the white silver pieces are strings of beads dyed blue, red, purple, and yellow, adding color to the hat. The top of the hat is a large pom-pom that completely covers the body, only revealing the exquisite hand-embroidered patterns. At the back of the hat is a small, meticulously embroidered fabric strip, topped with three silver flowers called "goàn tải" (in the Red Dao language), symbolizing the wish for the child to have a peaceful, prosperous, and lucky life when they grow up.

Ms. Ly Mui Man, from Thuong Thac hamlet, Tam Kim commune (Nguyen Binh district), shared: "Making children's hats may seem simple, but it's much more elaborate and complex than making adult clothing. Besides being a decorative item, a way to show care and affection from adults for the child, the hat also serves to keep the child warm, protect against cold winds, and ensure the child's head is round and not misshapen. Especially, the Dao people avoid touching children's heads because the head is where human spirits reside. Therefore, the traditional hat worn by children also covers the fontanel and wards off evil spirits... Because of these multiple layers of meaning, the meticulousness, and the effort put into making them, the current selling price of a hat ranges from over 1 million VND."

Nowadays, despite many changes in life, the majority of the Red Dao people still preserve many traditional customs and cultural practices. Almost every Red Dao woman knows how to sew clothing for the whole family, with the children's hats being the most difficult part of the outfit to design and create. The more carefully and meticulously embroidered the hat, the more skillful and talented the woman is. And the image of an adorable Red Dao baby being carried on its mother's back to the fields or to the market has become a unique cultural feature of this community.

Thanh Tú/ Dien Bien Phu Newspaper

Source: https://baophutho.vn/doc-dao-chiec-mu-cua-tre-em-dao-do-226692.htm