Elderly people keep the profession of making brooms

Although she is over 70 years old, Mrs. Nhi still keeps her family's broom making job every day.

In the blazing sun of a May afternoon, we visited the house of Mrs. Ha Thi Nhi, 74 years old, in Group 10, Song Cau Ward ( Bac Kan City). Quietly on the porch, leaning on a wooden chair, Mrs. Nhi used her feet to knead each handful of bamboo to clean the tiny flower petals. While working, she told about her "fate" for making bamboo brooms: Her husband's family had a business making bamboo brooms for sale, so when she retired due to fatigue, she started to follow in her footsteps. At that time, she was about 36 years old, and now she has been making bamboo brooms for nearly 40 years. Now that she is old, her health has declined, her eyesight is dim, but she misses making them very much. Making bamboo brooms is not only to earn extra money but also as a form of exercise to stay healthy, so she still does it to keep the job.

To make a durable and beautiful broom, it must go through many stages, each family has a different way of making it. For Mrs. Nhi, the bamboo must be dried, washed, and stored in a dry place to last a long time. When buying a bamboo handle, it must be washed, straightened, drilled, and pierced with a handle. Once the preparation steps are completed, the broom is bundled, the handle is closed, the blade is cut, the blade is spread, and the stitching is done... It sounds simple, but to make a beautiful and durable broom requires skill and sophistication. The broom maker must also be diligent and hard-working to be able to stay in the profession for a long time.

In the past, when she was young and healthy, she could do a lot. Now that she is old, Mrs. Nhi buys about 2.5 tons of fresh bamboo shoots every year; each month she makes 60-70 finished brooms, selling them for 60,000 VND/broom. Because they are handmade and elaborate in every step, Mrs. Nhi's brooms are always reputable and sought after by many customers. After a long time of use, the brooms only become dull, but the bamboo shoots inside still retain their green color and do not slip off the strings.

The broom is completely handmade, although it does not require much labor, it requires meticulousness and patience.

Also in Group 10, Song Cau Ward (Bac Kan City), Mrs. Do Thi Hoa and her husband have been making brooms for export to the lowlands for decades. Having been involved in the broom making business since they were young, their hair now has a few silver strands. Mrs. Hoa and her husband usually work in the afternoon and go to the market in the morning to sell. The quantity of brooms produced each month depends on the traders, some months it is more than 400-500, on average it is about 300 brooms/month. Therefore, each year the family buys about 5 tons of dried brooms and about 10 tons of fresh brooms to make brooms.

Taking advantage of their free time, Mrs. Hoa and her husband make brooms to deliver orders to customers.

Mrs. Hoa shared: In a day, the two of us work together, each person doing a part, and we can only finish 14 brooms. The price of a broom depends on the customer, the price of a thin or thick broom is different. Sticking with the broom making profession helps the family have a significant additional source of income.

Ms. Tran Thi La in Group 3, Huyen Tung Ward (Bac Kan City) has also been making brooms for 30 years. This is her main job that helps her earn an income to cover her daily life. The brooms are meticulously made by her with many types to serve the needs of customers. The selling price is from 50,000 - 60,000 VND/broom depending on the thickness of the broom. In addition to brooms, during harvest season she also collects sticky rice straw to make straw brooms.

Brooms and straw brooms produced by Mrs. La have stamps.

Mrs. La said: The broom making job is mainly done indoors so it is not affected by the weather, and she can help her children look after their grandchildren. In addition to the orders from traders, she also rides her bicycle to retail around the city. After more than three decades in the business, she has many regular customers, and those who have used her also come to buy again.

The flowers are stripped and cleaned, tied into bundles to make brooms.

Those seemingly simple brooms, through the skillful hands of the craftsmen, contain so much passion and emotion. In the hustle and bustle of modern life, technology and machines are gradually taking over, the profession of making brooms, which requires diligence, dexterity and perseverance, is no longer attractive to young people. Therefore, the elderly are still quietly keeping the fire burning for the profession, preserving a beautiful cultural feature of labor with both diligence and passion./.

Ha Nhung

Source: https://baobackan.vn/nguoi-cao-tuoi-giu-nghe-lam-choi-chit-post70830.html