Tò he - a gift from skillful hands

Colorful to he figurines made from rice flour are very popular with children.

At the vibrant “Business Day” in An Giang , I happened to meet Huynh Anh. She brought an exciting experience of making to he figurines, attracting a large number of children. With tiny hands, to he figurines appeared both unique, novel and interesting. The children were engrossed in making their favorite animals. Although they were not really beautiful, the moment of freedom to create brought them moments of relaxation and indescribable joy.

Huynh Anh was introduced to the toy figurines by chance. As a businesswoman, her life revolves around numbers and projects. However, deep inside is a soul that loves traditional cultural values. The opportunity came when she met Northern toy figurine artisans participating in a fair in the West. From the initial basic instructions, Huynh Anh explored, researched and practiced constantly to improve her skills.

For Huynh Anh, to he is not just a simple toy. It is the crystallization of folk quintessence, a safe and meaningful gift for children. “In addition to the reason that I like traditional things and think that southern to he has been lost, I think to he is a toy made from rice flour, very safe for children, helping them to freely imagine and create, practice patience and dexterity” - Ms. Huynh Anh emphasized.

She was concerned that in the current context, when children are increasingly exposed to toxic plastic toys and electronic devices, traditional, benign toys like to he are more valuable than ever. Initially, her intention was simply to learn how to make to he for her children to play with. But when she saw how much the children enjoyed and were excited, a bigger idea came to her mind. That was to develop to he more widely, open more workshops to guide them in making, and spread the love for this art. Now, she has done that.

“The name “tò he” has become familiar today, but few people know that it has an interesting history and other, more familiar, older names. Tò he was originally a cake that could be both eaten and played with, so it was also called “stork cake”. To make it more fun, the ancients cleverly added a trumpet to make the “tò te” sound, from which the name “tò te” was born. Through many years of word of mouth and the influence of regional dialects, “tò te” gradually transformed into “tò he” as we know it today. The art of to he has also constantly developed. In the past, the models of to he were simple and rustic. But over time, with the creativity of artisans, the designs and materials have been greatly improved” - Ms. Huynh Anh shared more.

Making to he is neither difficult nor easy, as long as you have passion, the person making it has a knack for it, is meticulous and creative, you can do it. The main ingredient is rice flour, combined with other flours, additives for preservation and food coloring. The manufacturing process is quite meticulous, it requires mixing the flour and kneading it, then boiling it, kneading it again with additives, letting the flour rest and then mixing the color. This is a process that requires skill and patience.

Huynh Anh's clay dough has two types. One is commercial clay dough with preservatives, which can be kept for several years without spoiling but is inedible, and is used to produce clay dough to sell to customers. The other is workshop clay dough - a traditional type of dough, which can be eaten if hygiene is ensured when molding, but can only be kept for a few days, and is used in workshops for authentic experiences.

Huynh Anh not only stops at making to he herself, but also expands her scale, both producing to he for sale and organizing workshops to experience making to he. Her products are sold at festivals, tourist attractions, schools, and restaurants for decoration. Customers can also order according to their requests for collection and display. In addition to traditional to he sticks, Huynh Anh also creates many more high-end types of to he, with profound artistic and cultural values such as the four sacred animals (dragon, unicorn, turtle, phoenix), the five tigers, the Three Lions, fruit trays, and fairy tale characters such as Hang. This diversity not only enriches the products, but also demonstrates the young girl Huynh Anh's constant exploration and creativity.

“Currently, to meet the demand, I also hire more molders, the number is still modest because the scale has not developed strongly. To bring the figurines closer to more people, Huynh Anh and her team regularly participate in festivals and fairs to sell products and promote them to more people,” Ms. Huynh Anh confided.

PHUONG LAN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/to-he-mon-qua-tu-doi-ban-tay-kheo-leo-a421710.html