Green Mid-Autumn Festival

1. Since mid-September, the "Life Color" shop owned by Mr. and Mrs. Le Truc on Tran Cao Van Street has always been crowded with customers. Unlike other shops selling brightly colored plastic toys, this shop displays dozens of lantern designs made from pine wood, mixed wood, and handmade paper.

Under Mr. Truc's skillful hands, small pieces of wood are sanded smooth, assembled into lamp frames, and covered with traditional Vietnamese dó paper and colored paper, creating a product that is both durable and environmentally friendly.

“The idea stemmed from our concern about plastic waste during the Mid-Autumn Festival. We thought, why not utilize leftover wood from our carpentry workshop to make lanterns? It would both recycle materials and evoke memories of traditional lanterns,” Truc shared.

Having a talent for painting, Truc designed and selected the materials for most of the lamps sold in his shop. The wooden lamps, shaped like jade rabbits, stars, crescent moons, carp, and lion heads, retain a traditional look while adding a touch of modernity.

Some models also incorporate compact LED lights, creating a shimmering effect without generating heat, making them safe for children. Many products come with bottles of watercolors so children can freely create their own unique lamps.

The sound of the cutting machine echoing in Mr. Truc's small workshop in the days leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival is just as lively as the sound of lion dance drums in the streets. The simple wooden lanterns, not too expensive, unique, and safe, quickly became popular in the market.

Some schools and businesses even place large orders to organize experiential activities and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival for children.

2. Along with the trend of returning to the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere, many groups of young people are organizing workshops on making lanterns and painting traditional masks. Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Tram, representative of Create Danang Art Space, said that this year, the cafe has dedicated an entire area for children and parents to cut, paste, and paint star-shaped lanterns, hand fans, and papier-mâché masks together. This is not the first time Create Danang Art Space has organized such an event, as they have recognized the high demand from customers.

The workshop space is usually decorated with rows of colorful lanterns, neatly arranged tables and chairs, and stocked with craft paper, glue, paints, and brushes. Children's faces are filled with excitement as they draw tigers, the Earth God, and the Moon Man on masks. Parents carefully guide their children in gluing each star point.

According to Ms. Tram, her team aims to create an experiential play space that evokes memories of "the moonlit nights of yesteryear" and strengthens family bonds.

"Throughout these events, what makes us happiest is seeing parents and children gathered around the table, chatting and painting together. It seems like each finished product carries a small story of their own family," Ms. Tram said emotionally.

3. In many residential areas, the movement to make traditional Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns is gradually spreading. Instead of distributing disposable plastic toys, many families encourage children to make their own lanterns and decorate the offering tray with fruits and traditional cakes.

Many parents also utilize recycled materials such as milk cans, plastic bottles, and cardboard boxes to create unique lanterns with their children. This atmosphere has made the full moon night in the neighborhoods even warmer and more vibrant.

As the lion dance troupes passed by, the sound of drums mingled with the shimmering light of dozens of homemade lanterns, making everyone feel as if they were reliving their childhood memories.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha, whose child is in the 3rd grade at Le Lai Primary School (Hai Chau ward), said that the homeroom teacher's announcement of a "Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration" was an opportunity for her family to encourage her child to make their own lanterns. Instead of buying them, she and her child spent the entire evening making a moon-shaped lantern out of peanut shells.

She said she learned this interesting method from social media in recent days.

"At first, my child was clumsy, the glue wasn't aligned properly, and we had to take it apart and re-glue it. But when she saw the finished product she made herself, she was so happy and kept asking to attach the LED lights to see it. I think that joy is worth much more than spending money on a plastic lamp," Ms. Ha shared.

As the full moon shines down on the streets of Da Nang , choosing a budget-friendly and nature-friendly way to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a new trend. Many shops and restaurants are decorating their spaces with star-shaped lanterns and papier-mâché masks, creating photo opportunities. Thanks to this, traditional crafts associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival are gradually being revived, subtly permeating every street and alley.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/trung-thu-xanh-3305444.html