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| Drying incense sticks is a crucial step that determines the dryness and natural aroma of traditional incense. |
Meticulous attention to detail in every step.
In Phu Thong commune, the traditional incense-making craft is still maintained in the villages of Ban Moi, Khuoi Sla, and Na Lau. While not the primary occupation of the people, incense has been regularly produced for generations to serve the community's daily life and religious beliefs, especially during festivals and holidays.
Following the gentle fragrance, we arrived at the simple home of Mrs. Lang Thi Tieu in Ban Moi village. Mrs. Tieu, nearly 80 years old, has been involved in incense making for 50 years. Therefore, she recounted every step of the process in detail. Each ingredient is carefully selected, without the slightest oversight.
The core of the incense sticks is made from long, straight, old apricot tree trunks, which the locals bring back, cut, and split into small sticks 30-40cm long and 2-3mm in diameter. These sticks are then soaked in water for three months or more, dried, and thoroughly polished to make them clean and shiny.
The dark yellow or brown incense powder coating the incense stick is made by locals from a mixture of leaves gathered from the forest, such as phây leaves or cinnamon leaves, which are dried, ground into a fine powder, and mixed with fragrant wood powder.
Along with Mrs. Tieu, Mrs. Hoang Thi Din in Khuoi Sla village has also been making incense for over 40 years. Mrs. Din recalled: "In the old days, before there were machines, we had to use hand-pounded mortars to grind the ingredients into a fine powder. But now that we have grinding machines, preparing the ingredients for making traditional incense sticks has become much more convenient."
After preparing all the ingredients, the first step is to dip the incense stick core in water and then roll it in incense powder. While rolling, quickly shake the stick to ensure the powder adheres well and the incense stick is evenly round. This rolling process is repeated several times until the incense stick is evenly coated with powder.
Afterward, the incense sticks are dried in the sun. If it's sunny, they dry for one day; if it's cloudy, they dry for two to three days. To make them more visually appealing, the base of the incense sticks is coated with pink or purple dye.
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| Traditional incense from Phu Thong is dried and air-dried using traditional methods before being brought to the market to serve people during festivals and holidays. |
While working, Mrs. Dín shared that the Tay people's incense-making craft requires meticulous attention to detail at every stage. The ingredients are completely natural, without any added chemicals, so the incense doesn't sting the eyes when burned and has a pleasant scent. Her family makes incense year-round, but they sell the most during holidays, Tet (Lunar New Year), or when families in the area have special occasions.
Preserving a traditional craft
For the Tay people, incense is closely associated with familiar rituals in their lives: ancestor worship, housewarming ceremonies, weddings, the practice of the Then ritual, the Long Tong Festival, etc. Therefore, incense is not just a commercial product, but first and foremost an indispensable item in their spiritual and cultural life. From this need, the craft of making incense by hand was formed and passed down through many generations.
Currently, more than 10 households in the commune are still involved in the traditional incense-making craft. These households mainly make incense when customers place orders or sell it at the local market during holidays and festivals. Although the income is not high, the craft is maintained as a long-standing tradition in the village.
In Phu Thong, most households consider incense making a secondary occupation. During the months leading up to the Lunar New Year, the first full moon of the lunar month, and the seventh full moon of the lunar month, families concentrate more on making incense. At these times, everyone, from the elderly to young children, participates, each doing their part. The finished incense sticks are bundled into bunches of about 50, with newspaper wrapped around the ends to prevent the powder from falling out during transportation.
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| The people of Phu Thong commune make incense from natural ingredients, so when burned it doesn't irritate the eyes and has a pleasant scent. |
With incense sticks selling for around 15,000 VND per bundle, each household earns over 30 million VND annually from the incense-making trade. While not a large sum, it provides supplementary income, helping families maintain their traditional craft.
However, in the context of increasingly scarce raw materials, rising costs, and the fact that output is still mainly limited to local markets and small-scale orders, preserving the craft in the long term still requires attention and support to prevent traditional crafts from fading away.
Ms. Ly Thi Ngoan, from Khuoi Sla village, said: "I've been making incense for 10 years, mainly for Tet (Lunar New Year). Making incense is very labor-intensive, the ingredients are increasingly hard to find, costs are rising, and each step is meticulous. During the season, I'm busy preparing; this is a traditional craft, and I hope future generations will continue it. The happiest thing is when customers buy it and then come back to buy more, praising the incense for its long burning time, mild scent, and lack of unpleasantness."
Amidst the changes of modern life, the incense-making craft in Phu Thong is still maintained to meet the daily needs and religious beliefs of the people. Each incense stick produced contributes to preserving a long-standing tradition deeply rooted in the cultural life of the Tay community here.
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202601/huong-thom-tu-nep-nghe-5646c86/
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