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Heavenly Horses and Ancient Stories
Passing through the gate of Son Tra communal house, the first image that appears before the eyes of visitors is two giant praying mantis lanterns. This is the latest work of Khoi Dang Tac Khi - the organizer, and also the main symbol of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival. "Heavenly Horses Picking Fire" not only recreates the shape of familiar insects but also lights up a treasure trove of folk culture.
The mantis has been mentioned in the folk song “The mantis catches cicadas, the sparrow stalks its prey”, or in cultural exchanges it is mentioned with the phrase “The mantis kicks the cart” - a symbol of indomitable spirit, despite being small, still daring to face a much stronger enemy. In Sino-Vietnamese, the mantis is called “duong lan”, and is still preserved in martial arts with the famous “duong lan quyen” form. Huynh Tinh Cua in Dai Nam Quoc Am Tu Vi recorded the name “ngau nha thien”, referring to a type of grasshopper that looks like a horse.
The ancients said that every red sunset, God lit the stove to cook rice, and sent the praying mantis down to earth to pick up the embers and bring them back. Therefore, many people in the countryside were afraid that this insect would "pick up the fire" and burn down thatched houses. This legend became the inspiration for the praying mantis lantern every Mid-Autumn Festival - a symbol of the Vietnamese spirit, attached to nature, resilient and indomitable.
Praying mantis has appeared in Vietnamese folk songs, proverbs and martial arts with the name "Duong Lan Quyen"
Currently, the common mantis (Mantis religiosa) has been listed in the Vietnam Red Book with the threat level of Vulnerable (VU - Vulnerable), due to the narrowing of habitat, pesticide abuse and illegal hunting. Therefore, Khoi Dang Tac Khi chose the mantis as the theme image for this exhibition event. Besides, "We want the mantis lantern to become a representative of the young generation of Vietnam", Ms. Nguyen Minh Nguyet, a member of Khoi Dang Tac Khi shared. "Small but fiercely fighting, daring to confront, daring to protect. That is the reason the image of the mantis appeared first in the exhibition area, conveying the message that the group wants to send: fight, try your best for the ideal and for the country".
In addition to the cultural element, the event also reminded visitors that the praying mantis has been listed in the Endangered group in the Vietnam Red Book and needs to be preserved.
Lantern treasure and layers of cultural meaning
In addition to the praying mantis lantern, this exhibition opens up a sparkling world of 7 other traditional lanterns.
There are a total of 8 traditional lantern models restored and displayed.
“The Transformation of Fish and Dragon” recalls the story of a carp overcoming the Dragon Gate to become a dragon - a journey of transformation to become a “great dragon”, a metaphor for perseverance and courage in the face of hardship. Based on the image of a carp in the 1920s, the fish’s head is shaped like a dragon’s head, while the tail retains the shape of a fish, called “ly ngu” or “kim ngan”. The fins of the fish are stylized like overlapping peony petals. The decorative line on the fish’s tail is the image of a bat (homophone with phuc 福), turned upside down to form “phuc dao”.
On some ancient lantern models, in addition to the decorative cloud clusters, there is also a small paper border with a title. The image is blurry, so it is assumed that it is “Fish and Dragon Transformation” or “Mid-Autumn Festival Watching the Moon”. All of these are to express wishes for happiness and prosperity for the homeowner during the family reunion festival.
The "Fish and Dragon Transformation" lantern is restored with a dragon head and a fish tail.
With the “Cancer” lantern, the word 甲 means armor, often used to refer to crab shell. Crab shell also means top, first place, above all. Therefore, the crab symbol symbolizes success in the imperial examinations. For a long time, Vietnamese people have valued education, so hanging crab-shaped lanterns during the full moon is a wish for children in the house to study well, succeed in exams, and pass with high scores.
Cancer Crab Lantern
The snakehead fish lantern consists of a large fish frame and small fish around it, symbolizing the sacredness of motherly love. The butterfly lantern or “ho pha” symbolizes longevity and fortune. The word “diệp” means both butterfly and pile up. “Phuc diep” is often used to refer to many blessings or repeated blessings, reserved for the elderly.
Snakehead fish lantern
Butterfly lanterns
The meaning of longevity is also expressed through the butterfly umbrella (butterfly umbrella) that was once popular in wealthy families in the past. Made from Do paper and bamboo with dark colors, mainly black, green, yellow, the butterfly umbrella is both rustic and sophisticated. When opened, there are eight butterflies inside - a number symbolizing development. In the restored version, the young people of Khoi Dang Tac Khi also created a fish umbrella with six fish symbolizing fortune. Combining 8 and 6 makes the number 86, meaning "prosperity, prosperity".
The largest lantern, 20 meters long, is “Dai Long”, inspired by the dragon image in the Phu Day Festival (Nam Dinh, 1920). The Vietnamese dragon with round cheeks, majestic yet friendly appearance, is combined with the five elements and motifs of the Le - Trung Hung period, associated with the communal house worshiping the god Mai Phu Quan, a meritorious person of the Le - Trung Hung period. On the forehead is also an upside-down butterfly pattern as a wish for good luck. Placed in the center, “Dai Long” symbolizes success and the journey of “carp turning into dragon”.
Dai Long lantern with long, winding body as if flying
An image that often appears during the Mid-Autumn Festival but is easily confused with a unicorn or lion is the Thien Cau - a heavenly dog, associated with a typical dance of Hoi An. The Thien Cau head was made by Khoi Dang Tac Khi by Hoi An artisans, with a big nose, sharp eyes, a demon-revealing mirror in the front and a horn in the back. According to legend, Thien Cau can swallow the sun and the moon. The Thien Cau dance has the meaning of praying for favorable weather, good crops, and national peace and prosperity.
Young visitors take photos with the head of the Dog.
Ms. Minh Nguyet - member of the Khoi Dang Tac Khi group with the Thien Cau head crafted by Hoi An artisans
From restoration to awakening old Mid-Autumn memories
Ms. Nguyen Minh Nguyet, a member of the Khoi Dang Tac Khi group, said that the group has been active for 3 years and has organized events for 2 consecutive years on the occasion of Mid-Autumn Festival. Studying architecture, Ms. Thuy - Director of Khoi Dang Tac Khi company, when studying the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival culture, found that Vietnamese lanterns were once extremely diverse, beautiful and meaningful, like messages from the ancients to future generations. However, many models have faded away, lost, and sometimes even confused with Chinese culture. That is what motivated Khoi Dang Tac Khi to diligently restore, to bring back a Mid-Autumn Festival with the true Vietnamese spirit through the exhibition "Fire-Picking Horses".
Not only bringing the ancient Mid-Autumn atmosphere, the event is also a place to tell little-known cultural stories.
Each lantern is handcrafted by a group of young people in the workshop, from bending the bamboo frame at temperatures below 800 degrees Celsius, to drawing details and painting colors. Complex models like Dai Long take up to a month and a half to complete. In total, the group of 10 people had to work for 4 months for this exhibition event.
Besides the lanterns, the display table in front of the door also has dough animals with the shape of lion heads, fruit trays… made by artisan Dang Van Hau. These details seem small but contribute to fully depicting the atmosphere of the old Mid-Autumn Festival.
Powdered animals made by artisan Dang Van Hau
Tea and cake area serves visitors free of charge
What surprised the group, according to Ms. Nguyet, was that the visitors were not only the elderly but mostly young people. Many students came to use as materials for their cultural theses. “I had never known about lanterns like mantises and grasshoppers before. Until I heard the sharing in the space of colorful lanterns, I was both overwhelmed and learned valuable knowledge,” said Truc Huynh. Photographer Nguyen Tan Bach called this a special experience: “Not only beautiful photos, but more importantly, I brought back stories and values that are hard to find in books.”
Nguyen Tan Bach, a young man who loves culture, came to the event to "live" in the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival space and learn about traditional lanterns.
Mid-Autumn Festival of the past comes back to life in the ancient communal house
Son Tra Ancient Communal House was built in 1876, bearing the mark of a turbulent historical journey, from Son Tra Peninsula (Da Nang) to Saigon - Gia Dinh when France occupied Vietnam.
With the image of the communal house yard, banyan tree, and well - indispensable symbols of the ancient Mid-Autumn Festival, the Khoi Dang Tac Khi group chose Son Tra communal house (Son Tra Dinh Tin Nghia Hoi) as the venue for the event "Fire-Picking Horses", bringing viewers back to the rustic and familiar Mid-Autumn atmosphere of our grandparents.
The event took place at Son Tra communal house - an ancient communal house nearly 150 years old.
In the age of technology and modernization, old values are easily forgotten. The event “Heavenly Horses Picking Up Fire” is a gentle reminder that the Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival is not only about moon cakes, sticky rice cakes or star lanterns, but also about legends and lanterns carrying messages from the ancients to future generations.
Khoi Dang Tac Khi has rekindled the flame of cultural identity with the desire that core values be preserved and passed on to future generations.
The lanterns lit in Son Tra communal house today not only illuminate a full moon season, but also ignite memories, pride and awareness of preserving identity. That is the flame that Khoi Dang Tac Khi is persistently "picking up" and passing on - the flame of Vietnamese culture, so that Mid-Autumn Festival will always be a meaningful reunion festival in everyone's soul.
