Earings of H'mong ethnic people (Source: VNA) Ha Giang (VNA) - Besides the dramaticbeauty of the landscapes, visitors to the northwest region of Vietnam easilyfall for the H’mong ethnic women’s silver earrings.
According to the H’mong people, earrings arenot simply beautiful jewellery. Deep behind itis the cultural values reflecting the customs and characteristics of the ethnicgroup.
Simple or complicated, the earrings are made of silver and carved inrounded shapes to symbolise the moon and sun – the gods of power of the H’mong.
H’mong girls wear earrings since young, at 14-15 years old and do not take them off evenwhen working in the field, weaving or going to the market. Beyond their beauty,the earrings also manifest the wealth of their owners.
It is believed that the bigger earringsthe women wear, the stronger, healthier and more hard-working they are.Sometimes, they are used as symbolic weapon to protect the owners from evilspirits and poisonous winds.
There are five major earring shapes: the questionmark, spiral, crescent, carved circle and encrusted circle.
On the surface of the earrings are carvedtiny flowers and sophisticated symmetric patterns, and sometimes just severalrandom lines. The handmade patterns convey the emotional world of the ethnicwomen, reflecting their dreams, joy and sorrow in their daily life.
Thesparkling and clanking silver jewellery manifest the meticulousness,skillfulness, and rich spiritual culture of the H’mong people, which is closelyconnected to surrounding nature.-VNA
VNA
