Dong Ho Tet Painting: Fine Reflection of Vietnamese Culture

 

Thinking of Tet paintings, Dong Ho folk woodprints immediately come to mind, a cultural heritage and a traditional feature of Vietnamese culture. Dong Ho painting or its full name of Dong Ho folk woodcut painting originates from the Dong Ho village, in Song Ho commune, Thuan Thanh district of Bac Ninh province. The craft village has existed for over 500 years. The skills for this kind of folk painting have been passed from generation to generation for centuries by talented artists. The period from the end of the 19^th century to 1944 was the most prosperous for Dong Ho folk painting as its villagers all participated in making paintings and considered it an elevated career. Some display Dong Ho paintings all year round, but they have special meaning when displayed for Tet holiday, because at this time people review the ups and downs which they experienced throughout the past year. For that very reason, from Lunar July, the whole village prepares for making Tet paintings. At that time every corner in the village is used to dry do paper (a special type of paper to make Dong Do paintings). The atmosphere is bustling and the striking colours of the paper are everywhere in the village.

 

Traditional characteristics of Dong Ho paintings are represented not only in special lay-outs, but also in colours and material of printing papers. Dong Ho villagers use do papers made from the bark of do tree which normally is grown in Bac Ninh province for this purpose. Do paper is soft, tough and resists dampness. Dong Ho craftsmen turn do papers into their own printing paper by mixing powdered seashells (so diep), which is the origin of the paper's name, and glutinous rice to make sheets of paper. The craftsmen then use pine needles to coat diep powder on sheets of paper, giving them their lustre and uneven surface, like brocade cloth. The features of this printing paper make Dong Ho pictures instantly recognizable and familiar, along with the countryside themes which the genre of painting exploits.   

 

The colours of paint are refined from various natural materials easily found in Vietnam. For instance, the black comes from coal of burned bamboo leaves and bead tree; the red from red gravel or sapan-wood; the yellow from hoa hoe. These are basic colours without mixture. Normally, Dong Ho craftsmen only use four colours for each picture, equal to the number of woodblocks. The last stage of making Dong Ho painting is printing. Paint is applied to the woodblock which is then pressed on a sheet of paper like a stamp, and the process is repeated with different colours on different blocks until the craftsman is satisfied with the painting. There is one woodcut for the outline and several others for each colour printed. A Dong Ho painting is made completely from natural materials with do paper, the white of seashells, the yellow of hoa hoe, the red of red gravel and the black of bamboo coal. Apart from creating the bright aspect of paintings, these colours also symbolize five colours of the five basic elements - metal, wood, water, fire, earth, according to Eastern philosophy. Spring is considered to be the starting time of these elements. Thus, the combinations of colours on folk paintings hanging on walls contribute to bringing the spring atmosphere to houses.

 

The features of Dong Ho paintings represent a variety of emotions, from worship and solemnity to congratulation; from admonishment to satirical implication, sometimes humour on the occasion of Tet. Each picture reflects own meaning from simple wishes to noble things. Dong Ho pictures evaluate beauty and a moral code; pointing people towards the fine things in life. Besides, Dong Ho paintings also send messages and wishes to people on the occasion of Lunar New Year. A Dong Ho painting also has some Han tu (Chinese characters) to literally describe the meaning of the picture such as getting ahead in business or wishes of longevity. Because of such spiritual meanings, each family wants to buy and display Dong Ho folk paintings in their house for Tet holiday.     

 

Dong Ho paintings have been attractive to many generations of Vietnamese for their meaningful themes which are familiar in traditional culture. Experiencing ups and downs, the hobby of buying and displaying Dong Ho paintings over Tet declined and the craft village went through many changes. For livelihood, most of the villagers have another craft. Only a few craftsmen in the village still hold on to their traditional career. In recent years, thanks to the efforts of some artists and attention of cultural authorities, the genre of painting has gradually been recovered. Many people are again choosing folk pictures to display in Tet, besides modern pictures. Remaining plain and refined, with a subtle beauty, Dong Ho paintings are now framed with bamboo to be suitable with decoration in guest rooms. Framing Dong Ho paintings is an improvement which helps the genre balance tradition and modernity. Not only decorative, Dong Ho paintings bring a cultural space with aesthetic and human values to each house. The displaying of folk painting in modern decorated rooms reveals the effort to preserve Vietnamese cultural values amid the heavy pressure of modern life.