Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: Thanh Ha Pottery Village Festival 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Thanh Ha Pottery Village Festival 2010

VIET NAM NET: "A festival to worship the ancestor of Thanh Ha Pottery Village in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province was held at Nam Dieu Temple in Thanh Ha Ward Wednesday morning on the tenth day of the lunar calendar.

Young men prepare for the ceremony of the Thanh Ha Pottery Village Festival.
Young men prepare for the ceremony of the Thanh Ha Pottery Village Festival.
From early morning, the villagers prepared for the feast to worship the ancestor at home to take part in the procession from Thanh Chiem Communal House to Nam Dieu Temple.

The worship ceremony was celebrated in a boisterous sound of gongs and drums surrounded by fragrant smells of aloe wood. Elders and villagers presented offerings to worship the ancestor of the pottery profession for his great contribution to build the village and to teach and preserve the traditional profession. People also prayed for good weather, peace and development for their career.

The festival includes traditional boat racing and many contests such as polishing pottery, shaping 12 animal designations, rice cooking in an earthen pot, breaking earthenware pots and singing folk songs.

The 500 hundred year old village is three kilometers from Hoi An City. The ancestors of this pottery village were the Thanh Hoa people coming to settle down.

Some famous and sophisticated products of the village are earthen pots, basins, teapots, jars, mortar and candlesticks. Artisans of Thanh Ha Village also made bricks and tiles to build many architectural constructions in ancient urban Hoi An. These artisans were invited by kings of the Nguyen dynasty to Hue to manipulate special products for the imperial palace’s daily activities. Since the 16th century, Thanh Ha Village has confirmed its prosperity and fame in pottery products.

Thanks to the development of Hoi An’s tourism, this traditional craft village has recovered with the great desire of artisans to revive it. Many designs and products are created to answer the demand of customers and the tourism sector such as to he in shapes of 12 animals, red-pottery lanterns, flower pottery bricks, bas-reliefs and masks to decorate walls and fences, in which some are exported to foreign countries.

Since 2001, Thanh Ha Pottery Village has been a tour for people visiting Hoi An City. Tourists not only contemplate the landscape but also shape and polish pottery products. About 10,000 domestic and international tourists visit the village each year."

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“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.