KHANG PIEU - Cultural beauty of Thai ethnic group in the Northwest

There is a land that every time I think of it, a slow, gentle melody resonates in my heart, like the sound of a stream in the middle of the forest, like a lullaby in a stilt house, like slow but bustling footsteps in a festival night. That is the Northwest - where the mountains and forests not only light up in the seasons of white Bauhinia flowers, not only retain the dry yellow sunlight on the terraced fields, but also hide miracles in every simple item like the Pieu scarf of the Thai women in the Northwest.

Women of Chieng Coi ward embroider Pieu scarves.

Piêu is not only a costume, but also a piece of jewelry, crystallized by the soul, memories, love and pride of the Thai people here. Every time we remember the Northwest, remember "Piêu", in our hearts, a slow, peaceful melody resonates like the sound of a stream in the middle of the forest, like a lullaby in a stilt house, like slow, bustling footsteps in a festival night.

In the Northwest, where spring comes, the mountains and forests are not only brilliant with white bauhinia flowers, not only warmed by the dry yellow sunlight on the terraced fields, but also magically lit up with the brilliant colors of Pieu scarves.

I have seen young girls embroidering Piêu scarves on looms, amidst the giggling of their friends. Sometimes, I see them diligently embroidering under plum or peach trees along the way to the market... Each needle and thread is meticulous and patient, just like the faithful waiting of a girl's life. Embroidering Piêu is embroidering a dream - a dream of love and one day wearing the most beautiful dress, throwing the Piêu scarf in the spring sky, for someone to catch, hold on to and love each other for life.

The Pieu scarf is like the girl here, simple, rustic, not too colorful, not ostentatious, but charming, deep and quiet. From a strip of rustic cotton fabric, hand-woven, dyed black, the scarf gradually becomes lively thanks to the skillful hands of the Thai girl. Carrying the traditional patterns from their ancestors, they do not need to sketch, do not need to measure, but day by day, the motifs gradually appear, the circles follow each other, the sharp sawtooth lines, the shape of the winding water waves, the pure white Ban flowers in bloom, the shape of the "khau cut" roof of the stilt house, the pair of deer antlers, the antlers hanging on the cliff... Each needle and thread is a whisper sent into the fabric - gentle, delicate but full of feelings.

Khan Pieu follows the Thai girl since childhood, when she first learned to hold a needle, meticulously learning each embroidery stitch under the gentle guidance of her mother and grandmother. The first scarves are not only a lesson in manual dexterity, but also a lesson in being a human being, learning patience, learning to be meticulous in every small detail and learning to preserve the loyalty and depth in the soul.

Pieu scarf - the beauty of traditional costumes of the Thai people.

When they grow up, the Piêu scarf follows them to important crossroads in their lives. Some girls carry the scarf in their pocket when they go to their husband's house, as if carrying a part of their memories, an inseparable part of their origin. Some people embroider Piêu in the nights of waiting, so that each thread is like a whisper to their lover far away. Each scarf is a woven part of their life, where the girl entrusts her hopes for a faithful love, for a warm home, for springs filled with the sound of the flute and dances.

And then, when they become mothers, they hold their daughters’ hands, passing on each pattern and each stitch as their mothers did with them. This cycle continues through many generations, so that the Piêu scarf becomes the soul of Thai culture - a place that preserves life stories, philosophies of life and deep feelings of the women here.

That is why the Pieu scarf sparkles not only because of its delicate needlework, but also because it absorbs the sweat of the mother, the breath of the lover, and the mist and wind of the Northwest mountains. How can we count all the songs and poems written about the Pieu scarf, "The Pieu scarf embroidered with pink thread, blown by the wind, flew here, hanging on the tree...", sounds like a song of longing in the middle of the forest. Then "The sound of the Northwest trumpet hanging across a Pieu scarf" , or "The Pieu scarf touches the chest of the person walking... remembering the stream of the village in the clouds" - poetry and music have elevated the scarf to a symbol of culture, of eternal love.

Piêu enters the songs, dances, and xoè dances of the Thai people as an indispensable part. Each open xoè circle is a circle of arms connecting the community, the breath of the mountains and forests, the joy spreading in festivals, in markets, and even in love trials between villages. The piêu scarf is thrown up, exchanged, and sent as a silent confession. There is a young man from the lowlands who goes to the Northwest, and just because he was given a piêu scarf once, he misses this land for the rest of his life. There is a girl who wraps up her longing and loyalty in a scarf, sending off her lover to the army or far away, then silently waits, waits for a season to return, waits for a promise of love.

The skillful hands of Thai women when embroidering Pieu scarves.

The Pieu scarf is also a precious gift for people from far away as a meaningful greeting, a dowry on the wedding day, and an engagement item in the traditional proposal ceremony. It is not just a scarf, it is a piece of culture, a community consciousness woven with the thread of time.

And if you have the opportunity to visit the Northwest Square in Son La, where there is a majestic statue of Uncle Ho in the heart of the ethnic people, or to Nghia Lo - the land of bustling xoe nights, of the colorful Muong Lo festival; or to Dien Bien - the place that marks the glorious victories of the nation, you will see that pieu is not just a memory. It is vivid, brilliant and full of pride in life.

As for me - the person who chose to be a child of the Northwest mountains and forests - I am forever proud of the profound and enduring Thai culture, where people know how to live in harmony, love faithfully and preserve their souls in every needle and thread, in today's modern world./ .

Source: https://baosonla.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/khan-pieu-net-dep-van-hoa-dong-bao-thai-tay-bac-LxOTmnrHR.html