Bustling beeswax harvest day in Hoai Khao

In mid-August, when autumn comes, in Hoai Khao hamlet, Quang Thanh commune, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province, a unique custom takes place, harvesting beeswax and cooking and distilling beeswax as raw material for the craft of printing beeswax patterns on the costumes of the Dao Tien people.

In Hoai Khao hamlet, on the steep cliffs, every spring, swarms of bees come back to make nests. In the fall, they move to other places with a more suitable climate to live.

Visitors enjoy the large beeswax panels.

The bees have migrated, leaving behind “super-large” beehives, with “huge” beeswax slabs about 1.5m wide and up to nearly 2m high.

Before harvesting beeswax, people hold a ceremony to worship the bee god and the forest god, with spiritual meaning, living in harmony with nature and animals.

Transport beeswax to the distillery.

The unique thing about Hoai Khao is that people tell each other to coordinate to protect and resolutely not allow honey exploitation. Because if the honey is taken, the bees will not return next year.

The ceremony of worshiping the bee god, the forest god and harvesting beeswax has taken place for hundreds of years in Hoai Khao hamlet.

Beeswax is broken down before distillation.

After harvesting beeswax, people break the beeswax into small pieces, put it in a pan, and carefully distill it, filtering out the essence of the beeswax as raw material to print patterns on the costumes of the local people here.

A step in the beeswax distillation process.

The craft of printing patterns on beeswax, along with the unique cultural identity of the local people, Hoai Khao community tourism village is becoming an attractive destination for tourists.

Extracted from beeswax.

Along with Kolia eco-tourism area, the scenic check-in point on the top of Phja Oac, the second highest mountain in Cao Bang province; Ban Phuong bamboo forest, these destinations are creating strong momentum for the development of the tourism industry in Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province.

Beeswax is printed, creating unique patterns on the costumes of the Dao Tien people, Hoai Khao hamlet.

MINH TUAN-MANH NGOC

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ron-rang-ngay-thu-hoach-sap-ong-o-hoai-khao-post768246.html