Process of making Ong Tao statues in Dia Linh village

    NGUYỄN LUÂN - HỒNG QUÂN |

    HUE - From earth casting, mold casting, sun-drying to kiln firing and color painting, each Ong Tao statue is the result of meticulous manual processes, preserved through many generations.

    Ben trong gian nha nho o lang Dia Linh (phuong Hoa Chau, TP Hue), ong Vo Van Nam (56 tuoi) miet mai xan tay cat va nhao nhung tang dat set dau tien. Day la cong doan mo dau cho qua trinh tao nen nhung buc tuong ong Tao bang dat nung, san pham gan lien voi Tet Nguyen dan cua nguoi Viet.
    Inside a small house in Dia Linh village (Hoa Chau ward, Hue city), Mr. Vo Van Nam (60 years old) diligently rolled up his hands to cut and knead the first clay blocks. This is the opening stage for the process of creating pottery statues of the Kitchen Gods, a product associated with the Lunar New Year of Vietnamese people.
    Theo ong Nam, nghe lam tuong ong Tao la nghe truyen thong cua lang, duoc truyen tu doi ong cha de lai cho con chau. De co duoc mot tuong dat chuan, nguoi tho phai trai qua nhieu cong doan cong phu, doi hoi suc khoe, su kien tri va tinh ti mi cao.
    According to Mr. Nam, making Ong Tao statues is a traditional craft of the village, passed down from ancestors to descendants. To have a standard statue, the craftsman must go through many elaborate stages, requiring health, perseverance and high meticulousness.
    Nguyen lieu chinh la dat set duoc tron voi nuoc roi dam, nhoi that ky cho den khi dat do mem, deo va min. Nguoi tho chi can ve nhe bang hai dau ngon tay cung co the cam nhan duoc chat luong cua dat truoc khi dua vao khuon.
    The main ingredient is clay mixed with water, then steeped and stuffed thoroughly until it reaches softness, flexibility and smoothness. The craftsman only needs to wring it lightly with both fingertips to feel the quality of the clay before putting it into the mold.
    Tren hinh la khuon duc tuong ong Tao.
    On the picture is the mold for casting the statue of the Kitchen Gods.
    Sau khi dat dat yeu cau, nguoi tho su dung khuon go lim de duc tuong. Dat set duoc nen chat vao khuon, gat bo phan thua, chinh sua be mat de tuong dung vung va can doi.
    After the soil meets the requirements, the craftsman uses ironwood molds to cast the statue. Clay is pressed tightly into the mold, the excess part is removed, and the surface is adjusted to make the statue stand firmly and balanced.
    Tuong sau khi duc duoc dem phoi duoi nang cho kho tu nhien. Cong doan nay phu thuoc nhieu vao thoi tiet, dac biet vao mua mua lu, viec san xuat gan nhu phai tam dung.
    Statues after casting are dried in the sun to dry naturally. This stage depends a lot on the weather, especially in the rainy and flood season, production almost has to be temporarily stopped.
    Khi tuong da kho cung, nguoi tho xep vao lo nung. Trau duoc dot lam nhien lieu, gach vun duoc chem giua cac tuong de tranh nut vo. Qua trinh nung keo dai khoang mot ngay mot dem.
    When the statues are dry and hard, the craftsman arranges them in the furnace. Beans are burned as fuel, bricks and scraps are added between the statues to avoid cracking. The burning process lasts about a day and a night.
    Sau khi ra lo, tuong tiep tuc duoc nhung son hong hoac son mau canh gian. Voi nhung san pham cao cap, tuong con duoc ve chi tiet va rac kim tuyen de tang tinh tham my.
    After being launched, the statue continues to be dipped in pink or cockroach-colored paint. For high-end products, the statue is also painted in detail and sprinkled with glitter to increase aesthetics.
    Chi Vo Thi Hang (bia trai, 31 tuoi), dang tat bat ve mau va dong thung san pham. Nhung ngay can Tet, ca gia dinh phai day tu sang som, lam viec quan quat ca ngay de kip don hang.
    Ms. Vo Thi Hang (left cover, 31 years old), is busy painting colors and packing product boxes. In the days leading up to Tet, the whole family has to wake up early in the morning, working hard all day to keep up with orders.
    Nhung me tuong dan hoan thien.
    The piles of statues are gradually being completed.
    Ve chi tiet cho tuong ong Tao.
    Detailed drawing for the Kitchen God statue.
    Ong Nguyen Vu Phong – To truong To dan pho Dia Linh, lang Dia Linh (phuong Hoa Chau, TP Hue) cho biet, hien nay, lang Dia Linh van con giu duoc nghe lam ong Tao bang dat nung. Tuy nhien, so ho theo nghe ngay cang giam, tu khoang 6 ho truoc day nay chi con 3 ho bam tru.
    Mr. Nguyen Vu Phong - Head of Dia Linh Residential Group, Dia Linh village (Hoa Chau ward, Hue city) said that currently, Dia Linh village still retains the craft of making Kitchen Gods with terracotta. However, the number of households following the craft is decreasing, from about 6 households before, now only 3 households are sticking to it.
    Du doi mat voi nhieu kho khan, nhung nguoi tho noi day van ben bi giu nghe. Moi buc tuong ong Tao khong chi la san pham phuc vu tin nguong, ma con la ket tinh cua van hoa, truyen thong va tam huyet cua nhung con nguoi lang tham giu hon Tet Viet.
    Despite facing many difficulties, the artisans here still persistently maintain their craft. Each Ong Tao statue is not only a product serving beliefs, but also a crystallization of culture, tradition and the enthusiasm of people who silently preserve the soul of Vietnamese Tet.
    NGUYỄN LUÂN - HỒNG QUÂN
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