The price of lanterns this year is double what it was in previous years, which makes the villagers feel quite excited.
With nearly 50 years of experience in making lanterns, Nguyen Thi Minh Thu is especially excited about this year’s festival. After many lean years, the traditional craft has become popular once again. All lanterns are sold almost as soon as they are made. Some businesses offered to pay in advance, but the villagers are too busy to fulfil their orders.
The hand-made lanterns from Bao Dap craft village are made from simple materials like bamboo, glazed paper, and the trunks of jute trees.
In the first lunar month of every year, local villagers start preparing the materials needed to make lanterns. The craft has existed for a long time, but earnings in recent years have been poor and few households have persisted with it.
Mid-autumn lanterns were once a source of joy for Vietnamese children. The traditional cultural feature then began to fade away as society developed. Today, however, it has become popular again, which motivates the lantern makers to continue preserving and developing the traditional craft and boost the incomes of rural workers./.
