Watch Dia Linh village craftsmen make statues of Tao Quan

    NGUYỄN LUÂN - NHẬT BÌNH |

    HUE - To have standard statues of Tao Quan, craftsmen in Dia Linh village must go through many elaborate stages, requiring good health, diligence and meticulousness.

    Lang Dia Linh, phuong Huong Vinh (quan Phu Xuan, TP Hue) nhung ngay nay dang tat bat chuan bi nhung me tuong ong Tao cuoi cung de kip cung ung cho thi truong, khi chi con it ngay nua, Le cung ong Cong, ong Tao se dien ra.
    Dia Linh village, Huong Vinh ward (Phu Xuan district, Hue city) is busy preparing the last batches of Ong Tao statues these days to supply the market in time, as the Ong Cong and Ong Tao worshiping ceremony will take place in just a few days.
    Dia Linh la ngoi lang duy nhat con lai o tinh Thua Thien Hue (nay la TP Hue) con luu giu duoc nghe lam ong Tao bang dat nung. Day la nghe truyen thong da co tu lau doi va duoc gin giu qua bao the he con chau.
    Dia Linh is the only remaining village in Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue city) that still preserves the craft of making Ong Tao from terracotta. This is a traditional craft that has existed for a long time and has been preserved through many generations.
    Theo nhung nguoi tho tham nien cua lang, de hoan thanh duoc mot buc tuong ong Tao, doi hoi thuc hien nhieu cong doan cong phu, nguoi tho phai kheo tay, ti mi.
    According to the village's veteran craftsmen, to complete a statue of the Kitchen God requires many elaborate steps, and the craftsman must be skillful and meticulous.
    Buoc dau tien, chuan bi nguyen lieu la dat set, tron voi nuoc de tao do mem deo, sau do chia thanh tung khoi nho. Tiep den la nhoi dat set, phai duoc nhoi ky de dam bao do mem, nhao va min, khi dung hai ngon tay van ve se cam nhan duoc su min mang.
    The first step is to prepare the clay, mix it with water to make it soft and flexible, then divide it into small blocks. Next, the clay must be kneaded thoroughly to ensure it is soft, mushy and smooth. When you rub it with two fingers, you will feel the smoothness.
    Sau khi dat set dat yeu cau, nguoi tho dung khuon go lim de duc tuong. Dat set duoc cho vao khuon, nen chat va gat bo dat thua. Sau do, tuong duoc kiem tra lai, chem them dat va tao be mat phang de tuong dung thang. Duc xong, tuong duoc dem ra phoi duoi nang de kho.
    Once the clay has reached the required quality, the craftsman uses a lim wood mold to cast the statue. The clay is put into the mold, compacted, and excess clay is removed. The statue is then checked again, more clay is added, and a flat surface is created so that the statue can stand upright. Once cast, the statue is left out in the sun to dry.
    Khi tuong da kho cung, chung duoc xep vao lo nung. Trong lo, nguoi tho dot trau va chem vun gach nho giua cac tuong de tao khoang cach, dam bao tuong khong bi vo trong qua trinh nung. Qua trinh nung keo dai khoang mot ngay mot dem.
    Once the statues are dry and hard, they are placed in the kiln. In the kiln, workers burn rice husks and place small bricks between the statues to create space, ensuring that the statues do not break during the firing process. The firing process lasts about a day and a night.
    Ong Vo Van Duc (70 tuoi) – Tho nan tuong ong Tao lang Dia Linh chia se, thong thuong trong tat ca cac cong doan, cong doan nhoi dat set cho min la vat va nhat, no doi hoi nguoi lam phai khoe va chiu kho.
    Mr. Vo Van Duc (70 years old) - a craftsman of the Kitchen God statue in Dia Linh village shared that, normally in all the stages, the stage of kneading the clay until it is smooth is the most difficult, it requires the worker to be strong and hard-working.
    “De lam ra mot san pham nhu vay phai trai qua rat nhieu cong doan. Nghe nan tuong ong Tao khong doi hoi tu duy nhieu nhung lai can nguoi tho co tinh can man, chiu kho, doi ban tay phai kheo leo” – ong Duc noi.
    “To make such a product, one must go through many stages. The craft of making a statue of the Kitchen God does not require much thinking but requires the craftsman to be diligent, hard-working, and have skillful hands,” said Mr. Duc.
    Hoan thien cac buoc quan trong, nguoi tho se son mau cho tuong. Co the to mau ruc ro va rac kim tuyen cho nhung tuong cao cap, hoac chi quet lop son mau canh gian cho nhung tuong don gian.
    To complete the important steps, the craftsman will paint the statue. It can be brightly colored and sprinkled with glitter for high-end statues, or just a coat of cockroach-colored paint for simple statues.
    Quy trinh nay doi hoi su ti mi, kien nhan va kinh nghiem lau nam cua nguoi tho de tao ra nhung buc tuong ong Tao dep va sac net.
    This process requires meticulousness, patience and many years of experience of the craftsman to create beautiful and sharp statues of Ong Tao.
    Can ke ngay dua ong Tao ve troi, hai vo chong anh Vo Van Hai (lang Dia Linh) van dang miet mai son ve, dong thung cho nhung tuong Tao, nhung don hang cuoi cung cua dip nay.
    As the day of sending the Kitchen Gods to heaven approaches, Mr. Vo Van Hai and his wife (Dia Linh village) are still diligently painting and packing the Kitchen God statues, the last orders for this occasion.
    NGUYỄN LUÂN - NHẬT BÌNH
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