Monday, October 22, 2012

Mountainous village Cát Cát in Sapa

The village is 2km away from Sapa town, an age-old one of Mông minority where many traditional crafts are well -preserved: cotton growing, weaving or making jewelries but most remarkable are well-kept customs that interest visitors at home and abroad. 

The Mông ethnic people make colourful brocades styling in plants, flowers and animals. Weaving, dyeing and printing are closely related. Dyeing skills in dingo or ash-water is popular. Dyed cloth is spread on flat stone and covered with bee wax.

Copper and silver jewelry is famous in Cát Cát. It costs time and patience for the job. The materials are put to be boiled until liquefy, then it’s poured into frames to make bars in different sizes and shapes. Then, it’s polished and carved with decorative patterns and finally, it’s polished again, whitened. Such jewelries as laces, neck-laces, rings… are very famous.

Well-kept customs, especially the game to pull in a wife is notable. When a boy falls in love with a girl, he prepared a big party and invites his friends to enjoy while planning to pull home his girl and locks her in 3 days.

If the girl agrees to be his wife, then marriage is declared officially. If she refuses, they together drink a bowl of rice whisky and things remain as they were. Wedding lasts from 2 to 7 days.

Houses of Mông ethnics are built in old ways. A 3-section house is covered with Pơmu wood. Pillars are supported by base -stones. Normally, there are 3 doors, one in the middle and two other on either sides. The main door is always closed except on special occasions: New-year days, wedding, funeral…There’s no altar, a ceiling is used as stone house, a kitchen, sleeping area and a corner for reception. The Mông minority people grow rice and maize on terrace -field in their own traditional ways. Cát Cát is a good destination for visitors to Sapa.

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