The Mid-Autumn Festival in my memory is a full moon night, the bustling sound of lion dance drums, a full tray of food, and sparkling paper lanterns. But today's Mid-Autumn Festival, in the middle of a modern city, those images seem to be fading away. That makes me wonder: Do traditional toys like paper lanterns still have a place in the memories of future generations?
And then, I found the answer when walking in a small space in Saigon - where paper lanterns are made by hand, with passion, and with the love of culture of a group of young people called "Khoi Dang Tac Khi".
The Light of Memory and Culture
The Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a children's festival, but also a festival imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity. Not only the sound and atmosphere of the full moon night in August, the unique cultural features of the Mid-Autumn Festival also lie in the diversity of paper lanterns. Each shape and each color are the creations of ancient Vietnamese people, of folk values that need to be preserved and conserved.
Since ancient times, paper lanterns such as Carp, Cancer, Paper Doctor... have been symbols of ingenuity, of faith and aspiration. Each of them carries a story: about the morality of "remembering the source when drinking water", about the dream of studying to be successful, about community cohesion. However, over time, with the development of life, the introduction of foreign culture and toys, traditional lanterns have gradually disappeared from human life.
But fortunately, at the present time, there are still young people who work day and night, meticulously making paper lanterns - as a way to preserve beautiful cultural values.
An impressive dragon-shaped paper lantern by the group “Khoi Dang Tac Khi”
Attractive lantern viewing space
Khoi Dang Tac Khi - when cultural beauty is rekindled by the hands of young people
In the midst of the modern flow, in the midst of a market full of electronic lanterns, in the midst of gradually forgetting old values, the group of young people "Khoi Dang Tac Khi" has chosen a direction against the current: reproducing paper lanterns by hand. From straight bamboo sticks, they bend, connect frames, stretch cellophane, paint... each step is meticulously and carefully done.
A paper lantern made by "Khoi Dang Tac Khi" sometimes takes up to 30 hours.
The Heavenly Horse Picks Up Fire. (praying mantis lantern and the sun)
Solar lantern
Standing among paper lanterns such as Vong Nguyet, Ngu Long, Cu Giai, and Tien Si paper, I clearly felt one thing: the objects before my eyes were not just toys, but also art, and cultural value.
Paper PhD
Cancer (Crab)
Dragon Fish
The paper lanterns made today are a continuation of tradition. And now, that tradition is rekindled, more vibrant and beautiful than ever by young people who love Vietnamese culture.
Maintaining the production of traditional lanterns is not only preserving a traditional handicraft but also preserving a traditional culture - where memories are lit by candlelight, where aesthetic values and national spirit are preserved through each layer of paper, each stroke.
There was a moment I could never forget: when the light from the Carp lantern reflected on the wall, I felt as if I was in front of my eyes on the Mid-Autumn Festival of the past - when I was a little kid, holding my mother's hand, holding a lantern in the other, walking and looking at the full moon above. Around me and my mother at that time were the sounds of drums and the cheers of the children in the neighborhood.
Seeing the traditional lantern, I felt like I was reliving the old moon seasons - tiny, smiling, without any worries.
From preservation to creation - culture is not just to keep, but to live with
What impresses me about paper lanterns is not only their sophistication and beauty, but also the spirit of the young group "Khoi Dang Tac Khi". It is not only the continuation of tradition, but also the spirit of innovation. This group of talented young people has constantly experimented with how to assemble the frame, how to paste the paper, how to mix colors... so that the products made both preserve the traditional spirit and are suitable for modern life.
So the lanterns made not only have a traditional appearance but are also flexible - can be disassembled and moved easily, both as a toy for festivals and as a beautiful decoration in the living space.
The massive lanterns are flexible, easy to install and convenient to move.
It can be seen that if culture is only kept in books or museums, it will gradually become strange and fade away. But if it is lived with people, touched, lit up and adjusted to be “in tune with the times”, it will become a part of life.
And the young people at “Khoi Dang Tac Khi” are doing that: Turning culture into experiences, into emotions, into light.
Conclusion
As artisan Nguyen Trong Thanh - who has been involved in the profession for over 40 years once shared: "Traditional lanterns using candles always bring emotions, expressing an unforgettable cultural beauty of the Vietnamese people." And perhaps, that light, though small, is still enough to illuminate a part of memory, a part of identity, a part of the Vietnamese soul.
The Mid-Autumn Festival today may be different from the past. But when I see paper lanterns, I believe that: the beautiful values are still there, just need to be lit up at the right time, in the right place.
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CREDIT:
- Photography: Luan Nguyen
- Content: Giang Huynh
- Design: Trung Huynh
