Traditional toy making village bustling as Mid-autumn festival nears
The days of waiting for summer-autumn rice to bloom, for the people in Ong Hao village (also known as Hao village) at Lieu Xa commune, Yen My district, Hung Yen, is not leisure time. From the sixth and seventh lunar month of the year, every house in the village becomes very busy making toys for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Entering the village at this time, through the gate of Ong Hao village, visitors can feel the bustling atmosphere with the sound of carving, drums and laughter. (Photo: VNA)
Scrap paperboard and paper are "enchanted" to become the paper masks. Even the glue used for paper backing is made from cassava starch, making it user-friendly. (Photo: VNA)
Wood and buffalo skin are used to make drums. (Photo: VNA)
Hearing the thumping drum sound, holding hand masks that are dried up, or finding fruit in the village's market, everyone feels that Mid-Autumn Festival is coming very close. (Photo: VNA)
Besides the traditional masks, the villagers of Ong Hao village can make more than 20 different types of paper masks, with large and small sizes depending on the preferences of their "little" customers. (Photo: VNA)
The places that can catch the sun, the large yard in front of the house, the wall or the road in the village are packed with logs for making drums or paper masks. (Photo: VNA)
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for mooncake, a baked pastry that symbolises family reunions and which is traditionally consumed as part of the celebrations.
There is only three weeks to go until the Mid-Autumn Festival, a very special time of year in Vietnam, especially for kids. With COVID-19 making its presence felt, local mooncake producers are working hard to guarantee food safety so that customers can still have a festival full of joy.
The Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre will organise a Mid-Autumn Festival from September 17 to October 4 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.