Ethnic brocade village in Mai Chau

(Cinet)- Mai Chau ethnic brocade village is known by diversified and plentiful brocading designs as a traditional handicraft village. White Thai female in Mai Chau valley weave brocade skillful with many interlacing designs and other designs in order to meet different requirements in the life.

Mai Chau district belong to Hoa BInh province, this district locate about 150 km far from Hanoi capital. From Hanoi capital follow national road No.6 through Hoa Binh city visitors must cross Cun pass, Ma pass, Thung Khe and Thung Chuoi to Tong Dau cross road then turn to district road 15 around 5 km, lastly arrive Mai Chau district.Ethnic minority people in Mai Chau district are mostly Thai people and belong to White Thai ethnic group, hold around 64% of whole district’s population. Thai ethnic people have famous traditional job that still develops strongly, is brocade weaving job. Brocade culture of Thai ethnic people in Mai Chau really creates particular cultural characters that attract many domestic and foreign visitors.

In Mai Chau, brocade weaving is considered as typical job for Thai ethnic females while bamboo and rattan weaving job is particular character of Thai ethnic males. All Thai females are taught the way how to make cotton and weave brocade when they are children. Growing up and getting marriage, they must be skillful in making cotton and weaving brocade for their own family and trading.

With more 300 looms, four villages in Mai Chau valley formed and developed handicraft tourism are Lac village, Nhot village, Van village and Pom Coong village. White Thai female in Mai Chau valley weave brocade skillful with many interlacing designs and other designs in order to meet different requirements in the life. Brocade weaving job has three typical kinds such as Pha Kham, Dem Bong and Hua Xin.

In order to weave a piece of brocade cloth, a White Thai girls have to use materials made by herself from planting mulberry, growing silkworm and reed grass. With three main materials, they weave and combine brocade with diversified and plentiful designs. The picture of Thai girls studiously weaving beside looms and boisterous sound from loom’s diamonds which seems to attract domestic and foreign visitors. That picture also becomes lively symbol of Mai Chau tourism land.

They dye cloth with colors of forest trees which have many different colors. Thai ethnic females know to find To Moc tree (Phang tree) to take the red color, Cham tree (Hom tree) to take green and black colors, crocus (Nghin tree) to take yellow color and concentrate indigo leaves though many complicated stages or make “sour” by betel leaves, lemon water with many kinds of other leaves which have colloid component to make cotton fibers stronger, lastly dye cloth in other colors. Design, line and color showed on clothes all present different means following with the conception of Thai people.

Ethnic brocade village in Mai Chau Related image(s)