The only person who makes a unicorn head in Hoi An

KEEPING THE SOUL OF THE STREET

At the event to receive the title of National Intangible Cultural Heritage - Traditional Festival, Social Practices and Beliefs of Mid-Autumn Festival in Hoi An on September 27 this year, artisan Nguyen Hung (50 years old, residing in Trang Keo village, Cam Ha commune, Hoi An city) made people and tourists admire when he brought and donated a "huge" sized celestial dog head (about 1.2 m high). Displayed with this celestial dog head are 4 other celestial dog heads of smaller sizes. All were painstakingly crafted by Mr. Hung and his relatives over a whole month.

The celestial dog dance is a form of folk performance similar to the lion, lion, and dragon dances often seen during the Mid-Autumn Festival or opening ceremonies, New Year's Eve, etc. Although the celestial dog's head is made in the same way as the lion's head, its appearance is completely different. "It can be described that if the lion's head is round, the celestial dog's head is a bit flat. If the lion's face is somewhat gentle and funny, the celestial dog shows fierceness from its eyes, ears to the curved horns on its head...", Mr. Hung said.

Mr. Nguyen Hung created a giant dog head to give to Hoi An City.

The details on the head of the dog all have ancient origins. According to author Tran Van An - Truong Hoang Vinh (Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Center), the dog dance is a type of mascot dance that is passed down in Hoi An. In terms of name, the dog means a dog from heaven, which is decorated as a legendary mascot with unusual characteristics. The dog dance, in addition to praying for good things, also seems to contain traces of ancient culture related to agricultural activities, the moon, rain, fire, weather, time...

Many documents show that before the 1950s, in Hoi An, the unicorn dance held a unique position because the lion and the lion had not yet been "introduced". According to Mr. Nguyen Hung, since he was a child, he had been experimenting with making unicorn heads to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with his friends. It was not until 1991 that Mr. Hung no longer saw unicorns. Remembering the nights wandering around Hoi An to see unicorns, he researched and restored unicorn heads using the techniques he learned from his teacher. In 2001, he perfected the manufacturing process and released the first unicorn heads to the market.

A MASTER'S DREAM

Many documents record that the celestial dog dance was at its peak from the 1920s to the 1980s of the last century. Celestial dog performers mainly came from martial arts schools in Hoi An because they required mastery of stances as well as a synthesis of traditional martial arts moves. As a skilled craftsman not only in making celestial dogs but also in making lion and lion heads, Mr. Nguyen Hung compared celestial dogs to unicorns in terms of the ribs, tail, gills, horns, etc. "The most obvious thing is the tail. Celestial dogs are usually 5 meters long and require 4 dancers, while unicorns are only 2 meters long and require 2 dancers. The most different expression is that celestial dogs' eyes look straight ahead like human eyes, not looking out to the sides like unicorns. Celestial dogs' noses are bigger and more bulging than unicorns' noses," Mr. Hung analyzed.

The basic process of making a unicorn head has 4 steps: making the frame, gluing fabric and paper, drawing and painting, and feathering. In the stages, the most difficult is bending the bamboo frame to create the unicorn's bravery. During the manufacturing process, Mr. Hung has improved and replaced many materials to reduce the weight of each unicorn head. If before, after making the frame, it would be the step of applying papier-mâché, now it will be replaced with a layer of gauze and a layer of lighter paper. "When the paper is dry, the craftsman will apply paint and then paint. This is an equally important step because it will determine the unicorn's spirit. With 5 paint colors of blue, red, yellow, black, and white symbolizing the five elements, depending on the artisan's "dexterity", he will have vivid strokes and patterns...", Mr. Hung shared. However, each year, he produces hundreds of unicorn heads, earning a decent income to support his family, while the number of people who order unicorn heads can be counted on the fingers.

"No one learns this profession anymore, but I am lucky to have two daughters and two sons-in-law who know how to make lion heads and unicorn heads, although they still have a lot to learn. Recently, all my children stayed up late and woke up early with me to make "giant" unicorn heads to display and give to the cultural sector of Hoi An City. Money will eventually run out, all I have left is my love for the ancient town, so that visitors from all over the world will have something more to see and learn about Hoi An, and that's enough fun...", Mr. Hung confided. Perhaps, more than anyone else, Mr. Hung hopes that this form of folk performance will revive after the Hoi An Mid-Autumn Festival is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage. (to be continued)

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-nghe-nhan-cuoi-cung-nguoi-duy-nhat-lam-dau-thien-cau-o-pho-hoi-1852312181920194.htm