Restoring traditional mid-autumn lanterns from half a century ago

Rabbit lantern, carp lantern and butterfly lantern are three 'ancient' mid-autumn lantern models that researcher Trinh Bach has restored and introduced this mid-autumn season, making visitors very excited.

Starting from seeing the Hang Ma Mid-Autumn Festival street increasingly losing its traditional color, researcher Trinh Bach was deeply concerned about restoring traditional Mid-Autumn Festival toys at all costs, and also because he "felt sorry for children today who do not know many good and beautiful things of traditional Vietnamese culture".

Furthermore, facing the wave of market economy , artisan lamp makers also trade in Chinese electronic lamps, causing traditional mid-autumn lanterns to gradually disappear. “The most difficult thing is that most of these toys only exist in memory, it is almost very difficult to find people who can make them,” the researcher pondered.

These lamps are elaborately and meticulously decorated with cellophane, motifs and rabbit fur.

Butterfly lamp

But then the difficulties were finally answered when he met a mid-autumn lantern maker who used to live in Bao Dap village ( Nam Dinh ) with 70 years of experience making lanterns. Luckily, his two children also loved it and together with Mr. Bach restored the traditional mid-autumn lanterns before 1975.

These lanterns were restored by Mr. Bach using special materials, meticulously handcrafted. Bringing to the Autumn Moon Festival event this time, researcher Trinh Bach not only introduced to the audience models of mid-autumn lanterns from more than 50 years ago but also the dough animals - a lost toy that was popular centuries ago.

This exhibition is the next activity of Ms. Pham Thi Bich Hanh, the initiator and organizer of the Thu vong nguyet program, in an effort to preserve, conserve and promote traditional national culture. The lanterns are on display until October 1 in Hanoi .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phuc-dung-den-trung-thu-co-truyen-cach-day-nua-the-ky-185699498.htm