The art of beeswax printing on fabric of the Mong people in Mu Cang Chai

The Mong people in Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai, have a very unique profession, which is to use beeswax to paint because after completion, the entire fabric will be dyed with indigo. The white parts of the fabric without beeswax will be dyed indigo. The parts with beeswax, where the indigo cannot penetrate, will turn blue-white. This is a job that requires meticulousness.

Let's learn about the art of beeswax printing on fabric of the Mong people through the photo series "The art of beeswax printing on fabric of the Mong people in Mu Cang Chai" by author Nguyen Ngoc Van, to see the patterns on the brocade costumes of Mong women in Mu Cang Chai are crafted through many stages: embroidery, weaving, fabric patching, but the most unique is the art of drawing and printing patterns with beeswax on fabric - a traditional craft that has existed for generations with the people of the highlands. The photo series was submitted by the author to the Photo and Video Contest Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The Mong people have unique and rich secrets for creating patterns on fabric. They embroider without a ready-made pattern but by memory, embroidering on the reverse side, the pattern appears on the right side of the fabric with rich motifs containing the human values ​​of the ethnic community.

Along with traditional beeswax brushes, today artisans also create pattern molds to print beeswax on fabric, which is beautiful and saves a lot of time. According to the Mong people, every woman must know how to grow flax, weave fabric, spin flax to print wax, and then make brocade. That tradition has been included in the song: "When I grow up, I follow my mother to learn embroidery, follow my sister to dye indigo, print flowers on new dresses..." Therefore, the practice of drawing patterns on linen with beeswax has been preserved and promoted by Mong women for generations.

The art of creating beeswax patterns on traditional costumes is a series of handcrafted, sophisticated stages, with colors and materials taken from nature. In particular, the technique of drawing beeswax on fabric is a sophisticated stage, requiring meticulousness, creating a unique beauty for the traditional costumes of Mong women here that is difficult to find anywhere else.

First, the flax is cut, dried, pounded until soft, and then joined. Before weaving, the flax fibers are soaked in wood ash. The wood ash must be white, made from burning ironwood. The whiter the wood ash is, the whiter the flax will be when soaked in the wood. To get a pure white color that helps the cajuput stick better when dyed, the fabric must be washed and dried carefully, then the fabric surface must be smooth and shiny.

Next is the process of making beeswax for drawing. Yellow beeswax is young wax, black is old wax, take all the honey and cook each type in a different pot until melted, pour into separate bowls. Take a sufficient amount of black wax, mix well with an equal amount of yellow wax and put on the stove. When starting to draw wax on the dress, cook these two types of wax together until melted. When heating the wax, always keep the heat at a constant temperature of 70 - 80 degrees, the wax will not dry out. To draw beeswax on fabric, you must use a drawing pen.

The technique of creating patterns on fabric shows that the Mong people reflect the personality and aspirations of people throughout their history of development.

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