Unique lion head making craft

Lion and dragon images often appear during festivals, holidays, openings, especially the Mid-Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year, symbolizing luck, happiness and prosperity, opening up good omens. In Thai Nguyen , stemming from their love for art, a group of young people have researched, learned and practiced to make lion and dragon heads in a methodical and professional way. Currently, this is the only place in the province that produces large quantities of commercial handmade lion and dragon heads.

Following the bustling small street, we came to the lion head manufacturing facility (at Group 2, Tan Thinh Ward, Thai Nguyen City) of Mr. Doan Thanh Tung. In a house of about 100 square ^meters , Mr. Tung, the owner of the facility, who is also the Head of the Long Nghia Duong Lion Dance Troupe, and his members are busy completing the last batch of goods to prepare for delivery to the market in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Along with the overwhelming feeling of colorful lion heads neatly arranged waiting to be delivered to customers, before our eyes were a series of materials to make handmade lion heads from rattan and bamboo, in addition to mosquito nets, paper, feathers... The newly handmade lion heads were covered with opaque white mosquito nets, lying on the shelf, waiting for the glue to dry before being covered with paper and doing the next steps.

Ordinary people are probably familiar with colorful lion heads, but the lion heads being framed and covered with mosquito nets are probably a sight that few people get to see in person.

In 2022, Mr. Tung and his brothers went to Dong Thap province to "learn the craft" of making handmade lion heads. Each person learned a different stage.

Although the materials are rattan, bamboo, and paper, making a lion head is not a simple task. Each person must undertake each meticulous step, paying attention to every small detail so that the colorful lions can both retain the spirit of the lion and remain stable and sturdy after the dance.

According to Mr. Tung: The stages from creating the mold, twisting the frame, weaving, gluing the paper to coloring the background, drawing the patterns all require the craftsman to be diligent, patient, and meticulous, so the craftsman must be like a real painter. In addition, the color coordination and decoration from the head to the tail of the lion are very important to highlight the spirit, bravery, and majesty of this mascot.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Sang, a member of the Long Nghia Duong Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe, carefully bends the rattan bars to create the frame for the lion's head, this is the first step in the process of creating the lion's head.

These workers have prepared a frame according to standard dimensions and then woven rattan to bend each part of the lion head. A qualified frame must ensure aesthetics and clear lines to easily carry out the next steps.

The step of gluing mosquito net and paper also requires the worker to glue the paper layer smoothly. Because just one flaw can affect the steps of gluing fabric, paper and decorative painting. The glue is made from cooked seaweed powder as it has been for hundreds of years.

The next step is drawing the lion, which requires the craftsman's concentration and a lot of practice to be able to draw soft, graceful lines that exude the spirit of the mascot.

To draw a beautiful unicorn, you must understand the colors, color combinations, and types of unicorns. Drawing the eyes of the unicorn is the most difficult step, each pair of eyes must exude its own spirit. A strong unicorn, a fierce unicorn, a gentle unicorn… are all expressed through the eyes. The highlight of the mask is the wide, generous smile.

The lion head has all four noble features of the four sacred animals: dragon jaw, lion nose, phoenix eyebrows, and a turtle tail on the back of the neck. In addition, near the edge there are spikes like fish fins, because fish symbolize success and advancement (fish overcomes the dragon gate, fish transforms into a dragon). The creation of the lion head emphasizes the characteristics of the four sacred animals so that the lion achieves a heroic and majestic demeanor, but is not unfamiliar with the traditional concept of the community.

The lion has many faces: white, yellow, red, blue, black. The three most popular lion heads are white, red and black. The three lion heads often dance together, symbolizing the “Peach Garden Oath”: the lion with a yellow face and white beard (Liu Bei), the lion with a red face and black beard (Guan Yu), and the lion with a black face and black beard (Zhang Fei).

The final step to complete the lion head is to glue the fur, make the beard and attach the tail. To make the body flexible, you must use glittering sequin fabric. With this fabric, the lion or lion will sparkle under the sunlight or light.

Each product is meticulously performed by the members. The lion heads are breathed into life, achieving sophistication. When completed, in addition to the beauty of color and shape, the lion head must have expressive eyes, a fierce but fresh mouth, be compact, light, durable, and able to withstand impact so that the students can perform difficult performances such as "Lân lên mai hoa thung", "Trúc thanh", "Lân chơi cầu"...

Each lion head from design to completion takes about 5-10 days, so customers who want to buy the product usually order in advance. After more than a year, the facility has sold several hundred lion heads to the market in and outside the province. When the season comes, sometimes, the members have to stay up all night to ensure orders for customers. Each handmade lion head is sold for 4-6 million VND.

Despite the hot weather and busy work, the atmosphere here is very cheerful. The lion dance makers seem to consider this not only a job to earn a living but also a place to express their love and emotions into the inanimate materials that bring joy to both children and adults every Mid-Autumn Festival.

Although making traditional lion heads does not bring in a very high income, the craftsmen here are all passionate about their profession. In the middle of the bustling city, this small workshop still has people working hard day and night with their passion.

More than a hundred years ago, the art of lion - dragon dance was introduced to Vietnam, and the profession of making lion heads also developed accordingly, with only rattan, bamboo, and reed pieces that were trimmed and bent, but fully expressed the majestic, heroic features, majestic expressions, and joyful emotions... of the sacred animals in this art form.

The art of lion dance or lion heads is an artistic quintessence, imbued with cultural identity. Mr. Tung and these young people understand that, they have been and are continuing to preserve, spread and bring these values to contribute to enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the community.