The art of beading of the Xa Pho people

Each ethnic minority has its own unique design and art, creating the uniqueness of their traditional costumes. Also from cotton, linen, indigo dyed, and brocade embroidery like some other ethnic groups, but the Xa Pho ethnic group in the Lao Cai highlands has an additional characteristic, creating the uniqueness of their costume culture. That is the art of beading to create brocade patterns on their dresses.

Bead patterns are truly unique and stand out in the traditional costumes of the Xa Pho people.

Sharing about the traditional way of making brocade from beads, Ms. Ly Thi Ngay, Nam Keng village, Lien Minh commune, Sa Pa town said: Brocade of the Xa Pho ethnic group has its own uniqueness, in addition to hand-embroidered patterns, there is also the art of beading... This is also the most difficult stage in the traditional embroidery and sewing of Xa Pho ethnic costumes. Therefore, in Xa Pho families, women teach their children from a young age about this beading technique. Girls in Xa Pho village all know how to collect beads, hold a needle to thread beads and attach patterns according to the instructions of their grandmothers and mothers...

In Xa Pho families, women teach their children the technique of beading to create patterns on fabric to sew traditional costumes.

The beads used to attach to the Xa Pho people's clothes are small, long beads with holes in the middle that can be threaded through with a needle or thread. The Xa Pho people often save seeds and sow them after harvesting, so the beads are maintained and planted every year to serve the need of embroidering decorative patterns on their own clothes. The Xa Pho people grow beaded trees in several localities in the province such as: Lien Minh (Sa Pa town), Son Thuy (Van Ban), Kim Son (Bao Yen), Hop Thanh (Lao Cai city)...

Similar to the rice crop season, around January and February, people sow bead seeds to grow plants, then about a month later when the seedlings appear, they are planted. The bead harvest season is around August every year, when the beads are old enough to be attached to clothes. When the beads are "ripe" enough, when embroidered on clothes, the beads look shinier and more beautiful, the patterns will also be more eye-catching. Usually, after harvesting the beads, people dry them, then attach them to brocade skirts, shirts and decorate other clothes and items.

The Xa Pho people harvest beads in the fall, when the beads are old enough to be used to attach to clothes.

Beads are artistically attached, creating patterns similar to hand-embroidered brocade with colored threads. Each Xa Pho dress or shirt is creatively attached with beads in different patterns, without duplication. In particular, Xa Pho people are also creative, combining colored thread embroidery patterns and beaded patterns, to create a unique brocade piece, which when made into a costume, will create liveliness and flexibility in both color and brocade patterns.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Tu, Head of Heritage Management Department, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province, bead patterns are truly unique and outstanding features on the traditional costumes of the Xa Pho ethnic group. It is easy to recognize Xa Pho brocade, which is completely different from the brocade costumes of other ethnic groups, because of the bead patterns on the shirts and skirts.

On the Xa Pho women's shirts, beads are attached to create patterns on the front of the chest and the back, forming a beaded pattern with many shapes, creating waves or squares, symmetrical flowers, standing out on the indigo dyed cotton fabric. On the Xa Pho men's shirts, they only attach very few beads on the sleeves, the back of the shirt, the row of buttons and the side of the indigo shirt hem.

The traditional costume of Xa Pho women consists of a shirt and a skirt, with a square-cut collar and beads in symmetrical patterns running down the body of the shirt. The lower part of the shirt is often embroidered with butterfly patterns, canopies and zigzag patterns. The skirt is also decorated with patterns like the shirt, in addition to combining pine trees, mountains, stars, etc. Each costume made by women has different patterns, depending on the creativity of each person, the skill and imagination to embroider and bead. Therefore, the brocade dress costume of the Xa Pho ethnic group is very unique.

Not only sewing traditional costumes, today, Xa Pho people also decorate indigo bags, pillows, wall paintings, tablecloths... with beads.

Nowadays, from the art of beading, many brocade patterns of the Xa Pho ethnic group are selected and created by fashion designers on fashion products including performance costumes and everyday clothes. With suitable variations, harmonious accent patterns, brocade and beading art of the Xa Pho ethnic group have spread in contemporary life.

Any traditional costume of any ethnic group vividly represents the cultural identity of that ethnic group, as well as fully reflects the daily life… on the brocade painting, imprinted on the costume. The art of beading and hand-embroidering brocade of the Xa Pho ethnic group also has those characteristics, being preserved by women in Xa Pho villages, preserving traditional values and developing into a handicraft, bringing in additional income during the off-season farming seasons.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nghe-thuat-dinh-cuom-cua-nguoi-xa-pho-post400213.html