Bamboo dragonflies always recall beautiful memories in the childhood. To keep the memories alive, Yen Tu Pilgrim Village introduces an interesting cultural hands-on experience.
For generations in Vietnam, bamboo has been in close attachment with people’s life, especially in rural areas. Bamboo is used to make not only household furniture but also rustic toys for children, interesting gift for white-collar workers, and unique souvenirs for tourists.
Bamboo dragonflies have been long known as a kind of folklore toy. In order to preserve and popularize the traditional craft job to travelers, Yen Tu Pilgrim Village introduces an interesting cultural hands-on experience.
Artisan Tran Hong Phong at Yen Tu Zen Culture Center said “In order to make a lively bamboo dragon fly, we have to choose a bamboo stem which must satisfy “not too young, not too old” requirement and it must be thin and hard at the same time. Qualified bamboo stem’s glossy green color will be shaved and the bamboo stem will be dried then divided into parts”.
The artisan will sharpen and carefully shape the four wings and the body of the dragonfly. After that, the artisan creates the head and tail. He has to put the head near the fire to make it curved. The final stage is to fit the wings into the body, testing the balance of the bamboo dragonfly.
Travelling to Yen Tu Pilgrim Village, children enjoy coloring bamboo dragonflies the most. The original dragonflies will transform thanks to children’s creativeness. Making bamboo dragonflies promises interesting experiences for tourists.
Translated by Quynh Trang
