Restoring lanterns for a more meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival

In the middle of the bustling city, there is an old space on the banks of Nhieu Loc canal (Nhieu Loc ward, Ho Chi Minh City), where young faces are diligently ironing each bamboo strip, covered with cellophane. These are mantis and cancer lanterns... restored from hundred-year-old images.

Praying Mantis Lantern - a new work by Khoi Dang Tac Khi - Photo: Y.TRINH

Choosing the praying mantis as the main model this year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy (33 years old, founder) shared that for each work, the group recreated it in black and white images from over a hundred years ago, while researching the folk story, origin and incorporating a modern message.

Looking at the 1.2m praying mantis lantern with antique patterns, bulging eyes, wings like frosted glass, and two front legs like sword blades, Thuy said this insect is associated with many folk songs and proverbs such as "praying mantis catches cicadas, sparrows stalk prey".

Cultural flow also has the saying "praying mantis against the car" transformed into "It's funny how a grasshopper kicks a car/ Thinking the grasshopper will fall, but the car tilts" containing the spirit of self-reliance.

It's not just a matter of memories

Contributing to the conversation, member Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet (35 years old) talked about the modern meaning: "Today, mantises are on the red list of species at risk of disappearing. Mantis lanterns not only rekindle cultural memories, but also call for the protection of this insect species because they are friends of farmers."

In addition to the praying mantis, this year the group restored two more models: a snakehead fish with its young and a sophisticated grasshopper lantern with harmonious green, red, and yellow colors.

The cellophane paper has just the right amount of tension, and the bamboo strips are soft. They sway in the light, making viewers feel lost in a magical Mid-Autumn night. Nearby, there is also a majestic winding dragon, a carp transforming into a dragon…

Ms. Thuy's husband - architect Nguyen Hoang Son - after agreeing to restore the mantis model, sketched and drew it on a 3D drawing board. The mantis lantern has 4 wings, 6 legs, each leg has 3 joints...

So they had to make a total of 18 joints for each one. Each joint went through the stages of shaping, framing, cellophane gluing, and painting.

"We assigned people to do the head, body, belly, etc. Others took care of pasting the cellophane once the frame was completed. I was in charge of the decorative painting. At first, the shape wasn't very lifelike, and we had to reshape it," Thuy said.

They have been tinkering since the beginning of the year, fixing many details over and over again to make the overall look flexible and soulful.

The praying mantis is just one "member" among the elaborate lanterns. Dinh Nguyen Nhat Truong (a final year student at the University of Architecture, Ho Chi Minh City, who has been working at the workshop for nearly 3 years) continues to assemble the dragon head frame, which includes dozens of details such as ears, eyes, chin, etc.

Heating the blowtorch to 800 degrees Celsius, holding a straight bamboo strip about 20cm in both hands, Truong heated the machine and gently bent both ends. The strip, which he called bamboo fiber, slowly turned into an arc. With the zigzag part, he bent it into right angles.

"If you are not familiar with this step, you can easily break the slats or make them the wrong size, or even burn your hands," he said.

Inside, Mr. Tiết Kim Hoàng poured a tube of glue onto the legs of the praying mantis lantern. He quickly held the piece of cellophane and glued it to the right tension and straight lines, especially the rounded corners and small gaps. He cut off the excess.

After finishing a joint about the length of a child's arm, he looked it over to see if it needed adjusting.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy, founder of Khoi Dang Tac Khi, diligently paints the crab claw of the Cancer lantern - Photo: Y.TRINH

"Want to do something that leaves some value for the community"

Regarding the reason for the restoration, Kim Thuy said: "Previously, I had the opportunity to learn about old lantern models from photos of Hanoi life. Feeling the beauty on the outside and the cultural message inside, I loved it and came up with the idea of ​​restoring it."

She searched for more documents but found very little information. The images of lanterns from the 1920s were in black and white, making it difficult to see details.

When they started with the first carp model, the couple encountered many difficulties. First, they had to create a 3D model similar to the old shape, which required knowledge of fine arts. Then, they spent half a year looking for materials because they did not know what their ancestors used.

Modern lanterns are usually made of bamboo, but when comparing the photo of the document, it is a type of rounded bamboo. After testing the rattan, they were happy to find bamboo, the type used to make bird cages, from a craft village outside Hanoi.

Wishing to create a restoration project, even if it was just a small field, Thuy and her husband established Khoi Dang Tac Khi more than 3 years ago. Too passionate about the project, Thuy quit her job at an architectural firm because "she wanted to do something that would leave some value for the community".

Thuy, her husband and about 10 members have been accompanying her until now.

Each year, Khoi Dang Tac Khi only makes a few more models because researching shapes and designs is "a very elaborate profession". They have successfully restored 8 ancient lantern models, such as carp, cancer, grasshopper...

Thuy shared that the most complicated ones are probably the dragon lantern and the praying mantis. The dragon is a product of imagination, based on the materials to distinguish Vietnamese dragons, exuding a not too fierce and child-friendly aura. The praying mantis has many details, including small antennae and joints. Each model usually has to be tested for 3-4 months and the details simplified.

In the restoration, Khoi Dang Tac Khi tried to ensure the tradition from the century-old model, but also breathed in creativity, along with messages from folk origins, books...

They often consider colors, proportions, patterns… based on traditional beauty, along with specialized knowledge. The group still researches, hoping to learn more about ancient lantern models from other regions to enrich the designs.

There are also models that the Thuy group created with their own personal touch. For example, the carp transforming into a dragon (ly ngu hoa long) model is not a prototype from an old image but a synthesis of images from temples and cultural spaces.

Young people visit the lantern cultural space "Sky horse lighting fire" at Son Tra communal house (HCMC) - Photo: Y.TRINH

According to Ms. Thuy, the symbols on the old lanterns all have stories behind them: "They can be messages or blessings, like the lanterns painted with flowers in the word Tho, or the image of a bat turning its head, which has the same sound as Phuc Dao. Then there are the patterns of clouds, knives, fire...".

The joys of overcoming difficulties together

The group's name is inspired by the story "Nhat co tac khi", using drumbeats to encourage soldiers' morale. The group hopes to contribute to preserving and promoting ancient culture, even though it is a difficult journey.

For the past two years, Khoi Dang Tac Khi has organized lantern cultural spaces, like this year's "Sky Horse Lighting Fire". They also have orders for large dragons, large lantern models...

Ms. Thuy was very happy that everyone accepted her but had to refuse many orders because of limited human resources.

There are times when she feels discouraged, but the joy of creating a soulful work, or seeing the excited eyes of children and young people in front of the lanterns... motivates the group.

Although it is a "patchwork" job, the meaning of the work helps her and everyone overcome difficulties. More than anyone, she and her husband want the project to be long-term and sustainable.

"The money collected from tickets or workshops is only symbolic, creating something new. We hope the group will have more companionship to create events and cultural spaces on the further journey," Thuy confided.

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YEN TRINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phuc-dung-long-den-cho-trung-thu-them-y-nghia-20251005225514027.htm