As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, a series of photographs by Léon Busy (1874-1951) capturing the festivities has been shared widely online. Taken in 1915 on Hang Gai Street in Hanoi, the photos are now preserved at the Albert Kahn Museum in France.
The photos show some carp-shaped and star-shaped lanterns, traditional toys for children during the festival.
Carp-shaped lanterns are a favorite traditional toy for children.
The carp represents perseverance and effort, inspired by the legend of a fish leaping over the Vu Mon gate to become a dragon.
The Mid-Autumn atmosphere on Hang Gai Street more than a century ago. This photo was displayed at the “Ha Noi, Sac Mau 1914-1917” (Hanoi, Colors of 1914-1917) exhibition in late 2013.
The Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association said the festival often began in Hanoi's Old Quarter, a busy trading area. Hang Gai Street was known for selling various toys, including animal-shaped lanterns.
In his book “Pho Phuong Ha Noi Xua” (Old Streets of Hanoi), Hoang Dao Thuy wrote: "From the first day of the eighth lunar month Hang Gai Street came alive. All mothers and children in Hanoi flocked there.
“Every vendor on the street sold paper Mid-Autumn toys, including elephants, horses, toads, carps transforming into dragons, lion heads."
A shop selling Mid-Autumn toys in 1915 through the lens of French photographer Leon Busy.
In 1909 French banker Albert Kahn (1860-1940) launched the Archives of the Planet to collect photos of 50 countries using the most advanced color photography of the time. He hired photographers to travel abroad, including Leon Busy, who visited Vietnam.
During his stay, Busy photographed Hanoi’s landscapes and northern Vietnamese women. In April 2023 his works were displayed at an exhibition titled “Ha Noi - Khoi Dau Mot Do Thi Kieu Phuong Tay O Dong Nam A” (Hanoi - The Beginning Of A Western-Style City In Southeast Asia).
