Traditional craft villages in Vietnam are not just places producing exquisite handicrafts but also centers for preserving and developing unique cultural values, contributing to the distinct identity of each region. Every product from a craft village carries a historical story, secret crafting techniques, and the soul of the artisan.
The Cultural Foundation of Craft Villages: A Harmonious Combination
Craft village culture is a harmonious blend of village culture and occupational culture. Village culture is the foundation, while occupational culture is the key element creating unique characteristics.
1. Elements Constituting Village Culture
- Organizational structure: Clans, hamlets, village community organizations.
- Village appearance: Architecture of communal houses, temples, shrines, pagodas, clan temples, houses imbued with cultural imprints.
- Intangible culture: Village customs, traditions, community behaviors, festivals, folk beliefs.
2. Preserving and Promoting Traditional Values
A noteworthy fact is that craft villages often preserve a richer and older traditional cultural heritage compared to purely agricultural villages. From historical relics and customs to cultural potential, everything is relatively well preserved.
A traditional festival at a famous ceramic craft village in Vietnam, showcasing vibrant cultural heritage.
Compared to purely agricultural villages, craft villages have better economic conditions, making it easier to restore relics and maintain cultural activities. In particular, some customs and rituals of early and ancient agriculture are preserved more in craft villages.
Unique Features of Craft Village Culture
1. Ancestor Veneration of the Craft
Ancestor veneration of the craft is a unique cultural feature, almost indispensable in any craft village. The craft ancestor’s death anniversary is usually solemnly organized, expressing gratitude and respect for the person who founded the craft. If the craft ancestor’s death anniversary coincides with the village festival, the festival will be organized on a larger scale, attracting many people and tourists to participate.
2. Strong Community Spirit
Originally agricultural villages, craft villages inherently possess the characteristics of Vietnamese rural villages. When transitioning to handicrafts, community spirit is further strengthened due to the need to protect the craft, cooperate in production, and compete with other craft communities. Solidarity and mutual support are important factors helping craft villages survive and develop.
3. Richness of Intangible Culture
Craft village culture is also expressed through folk songs, proverbs, and legends about the craft and craft ancestors. Each craft village has its own folk songs and proverbs praising the beauty of the village, the talent of the artisans, and the values that the craft brings.
4. Flexible Adaptability
Another distinctive feature of craft village culture is dynamism, flexibility, and the ability to quickly adapt to changes in the times and the market. Craft villages are constantly searching for and creating new products, meeting the increasing demands of customers.
Elements Constituting Craft Village Culture
Craft village culture includes many elements such as relics, festivals, customs, beliefs, ancestor veneration, relationships between people, secrets and techniques of craft transmission, symbolic cultural meanings in products, etc. All these elements are closely related, interacting with each other, creating a unique and distinct craft village cultural entity.
1. The Role of Artisans
In craft culture, artisans play an extremely important role. They are the ones who preserve the soul and secrets of the craft, and also the creators and instructors of skills for future generations. Therefore, paying attention to the rights and occupational knowledge of artisans is extremely necessary.
2. Cultural Values in Products
The cultural value of craft villages is also clearly reflected in handicraft products. It is the crystallization of intelligence, skillful hands, and exquisite techniques of artisans. Patterns and motifs preserved for hundreds of years are being inherited and restored, creating products imbued with national cultural identity.
Each craft village product is not just an ordinary commodity but also a place to send the soul, talent, aesthetic sense, intelligence, creativity, and working spirit of the artisan. These are cultural products of high artistic value.
Traditional Craft Villages: Priceless Cultural Heritage
According to Mr. Luu Duy Dan, Chairman of the Vietnam Craft Village Association, Vietnam is known as the land of craft villages, a place where cultural quintessence and folk arts are cultivated over many years. Craft villages and craft streets that have existed through historical ups and downs are evidence of the strong vitality of the national cultural source.
With intelligence and skillful hands, Vietnamese artisans have persistently preserved and developed traditional craft villages, Vietnamese cultural heritage accompanying the nation’s history. Traditional craft village culture in Vietnam is not only material values but also priceless spiritual values, which need to be preserved and promoted for future generations.