'Keeping the fire' of lion head making on Mid-Autumn Festival in the ancient capital of Hue

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, which is also the time when lion head making facilities in Hue city are busy completing lion heads to deliver to the whole country.

That bustling atmosphere not only evokes part of childhood memories but also reflects the passion of artisans who are silently preserving traditional crafts in the ancient capital.

These days, alley 11 Tran Hung Dao Street (Phu Xuan Ward, Hue City) becomes bustling with people coming and going. People come mainly to see and buy lion heads, because this place is home to the oldest and largest lion head production facility in Hue City.

The facility is currently owned by Mr. Truong Nhu Rem, who inherited the business from his father and grandfather. Growing up in a family with a tradition of making lion heads, Mr. Rem has a special love for lion heads and began learning the craft from his youth, nearly 30 years ago.

This year, his facility had to mobilize 12 workers to work together. Each person was responsible for a stage. Some set up the frame, covered it with paper, and attached accessories. Those with good skills and artistic talent were in charge of drawing and decorating. Just like that, this “line” operated at almost full capacity from early morning to night, to create a beautiful lion head.

It takes a skilled craftsman at least 7 days to produce a large lion head for the market. All the steps from making the frame from bamboo and rattan, gluing gauze and paper to the frame, painting white primer, painting, spraying gloss on the surface of the lion head and assembling accessories, attaching wool... are all done entirely by hand.

Each lion head is unique, depending on the skill, idea and soul of each craftsman, each product has its own characteristic color.

According to Mr. Truong Nhu Rem, making lion heads takes a lot of time, so he does this job year-round to have goods to serve during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Large and colorful lion heads of Mr. Truong Nhu Rem, Tran Hung Dao Street, Phu Xuan Ward, Hue City. (Photo: Nguyen Ly/VNA)

This year, the facility will bring to the market about 400-500 large lion sets, thousands of small lions and a variety of Ong Dia head products and lion dance accessories.

Mr. Rem shared that in the past, his father and grandfather made simple lion heads from paper frames. In recent years, he has made many improvements. Lion heads are now made from bamboo frames, the ribs are light and easy to bend to create many different designs according to customer tastes. The shape of the lion head has changed over the years in terms of the number of horns, the protrusion of the eyes, the curvature of the mouth...

Besides modern lion head models, some other establishments in Hue still keep almost intact the traditional, simple lion head models.

For over 10 years, Mrs. Truong Thi Kim Chi’s family (residing in Phu Xuan ward, Hue city) has been making traditional lion heads. Mrs. Chi said that her family makes many lion heads of different sizes, but the small lion heads for children are still the most popular and best-selling, with the traditional colors of red and yellow - symbolizing luck and prosperity.

Hue is a land famous for many traditional crafts, of which making lion heads requires the most meticulousness and aesthetics.

If gold and red are the two main colors of traditional lions, today's Hue lions have changed a lot with diverse designs and colors, meeting customers' tastes, not only in fur color, decorative motifs but also in small details such as the eyes, eyelashes or horns. Hue lions are both brave, luxurious and noble.

Mrs. Truong Thi Kim Chi's household in Phu Xuan ward, Hue city, makes small lion heads to sell on the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival 2025. (Photo: Nguyen Ly/VNA)

In the past, lion dances often appeared on the streets during the Mid-Autumn Festival performed by children. Nowadays, lion dances have become a familiar performance at major cultural events, opening ceremonies, inaugurations, etc., performed by professional dance groups.

In particular, lion dance also appears in street art activities during Hue Festivals, widely introduced to international friends.

In the modern life, among the myriad of technological games, handmade lion heads still hold a special place in the full moon season. Not only bringing joy and excitement to children, the profession of making lion heads in Hue also contributes to preserving cultural memories, fostering the traditional identity of Vietnam, including the ancient capital of Hue./.