In the material and spiritual life of the Dao Tien people, silver jewelry is not only an indispensable item for women to beautify themselves, but it also represents many unique and special cultural and religious values.
Silver jewelry has a unique beauty, just through the design and decorative patterns, people can recognize the meaning and cultural value of each ethnic group. For the Tien Dao people, silver is the most precious material and silver jewelry is always the most valued. Most of the silver jewelry is hand-crafted by the Dao people using traditional manual methods and has been used for a long time, becoming a highlight on their costumes.
According to Ms. Chu Thi Un, Ban Phuong hamlet, Thanh Cong commune (Nguyen Binh), the Dao Tien people often decorate their costumes with silver coins, which is why our ethnic group is called "Dao Tien". Especially for women, silver jewelry shows the level of wealth and prosperity of themselves and their families. Usually, on holidays, Tet or when the family has happy events, I will wear a shirt with 10 silver buttons, 7 necklaces, 2 bracelets, earrings and a betel bag with 16 sparkling silver flowers. All the silver jewelry is a dowry when I get married. In the indigo color and meticulous beeswax lines, the white silver color makes the Dao Tien costume more brilliant and unique.
Silver jewelry is not only used for beauty but also represents the close relationship between family members and the community and is always cherished, preserved and passed down through many generations. According to the concept of the Dao Tien people, when a girl gets married, in addition to the homemade clothes for a year, silver jewelry is an indispensable dowry along with other valuable gifts. These jewelry will be kept as family and clan treasures and will be passed down to future generations.
The silver jewelry set of a Dao Tien girl when she gets married usually has 5-7 necklaces of increasing size, not closed, with nearly ten long silver chains hanging down almost to the chest at both ends, 2-3 bracelets, earrings, and a set of necklaces. On the necklaces are carved patterns of diamonds, swords, oars, birds, flowers and leaves...
In particular, the elaborate and sophisticated set of relics includes silver coins, rice-shaped strings, fish, labor tools (knives, shovels, etc.), small bells, lime boxes, betel spoons, etc. In addition, there are ear picks, tweezers and rattles about 6 - 8 cm long. The set of relic strings is worn around the waist, one side is fastened to the belt, the other side is hanging down the side. On the indigo and white background, the silver relic set highlights the charm of women. This is one of the aspects that create national identity.
According to the Dao Tien people, silver is not only used as jewelry to highlight traditional costumes, but also to represent wealth, prosperity, luck, and fortune. The more silver a person has, the more the gods will bless them with good health, good things, and a prosperous and happy family. In addition, the Dao Tien people believe that silver helps ward off evil spirits, wind, colds, and many other diseases.
Nowadays, with the strong cultural exchange, the life of the Dao Tien people has changed, many cultural values are gradually fading away or changing to adapt to new conditions. However, silver jewelry is still maintained as an indispensable part, a traditional cultural symbol of the Dao Tien community here.
Thanh Tu
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