Paper flowers begin to bloom in central Vietnam

By Vo Thanh   January 9, 2019 | 10:55 pm PT
In Thanh Tien Village, Thua Thien-Hue Province, residents are busy making paper flowers for the Lunar New Year.
Villagers in Vietnams central region busy prepping paper flowers for Lunar New Year

A month before Tet, the Lunar New Year holiday, life gets hectic for residents of Thanh Tien Village in Phu Mau Commune as they make colorful paper flowers that will be used for worship. 

It is said that for centuries, families in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue have been using these flowers for the trang ong trang ba worship, a practice in central Vietnam to pray for residents’ wellbeing and safety from calamities.

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Villagers begin chopping and slicing dried bamboo in August to make the pedicles and paint it green.

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Colorful petals are stowed and ready to be assembled into the flower pedicles. In the past, villagers would dye their own paper. Today, many families buy colored paper.

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Nguyen Van Hien, 57, said locals begin making these paper flowers every lunar September to prepare for Tet. Every flower is handmade, from cutting to shaping the petals. This year, his family has prepared 1,000 paper flowers.

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Instead of using industrial glue, Thanh Tien villagers make a special type of flour.

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Different types of flowers are made in the village - orchids, lilies, daisies, etc. They also make rice leaves, symbolizing local farming and agriculture.

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A pair of flowers is sold for VND7,000-10,000 ($0.3-0.4).

Villagers in Vietnams central region busy prepping paper flowers for Lunar New Year - 7

The flowers are stuck into a straw stump and wrapped in plastic bags. Villagers start selling the paper flowers from mid-December on the lunar calendar.

 
 
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