The Mong people of Ban Xeo preserve the craft of spinning linen and weaving.

Thanks to the ingenuity, perseverance, diligence, and hard work of Mong women in Ban Xeo, the traditional linen spinning and weaving professions here have been preserved and effectively promoted in life.

Mong women embroider brocade patterns.

The linen spinning and weaving profession is closely associated with the cultural and spiritual life of the Mong people in Ban Xeo commune, Lao Cai province. For many generations, Mong women in Ban Xeo have been diligently preserving the cultural quintessence of their people and passing it on to future generations.

With skillful hands, Mong women weave linen with many sophisticated patterns, making traditional costumes and items for daily life.

Flax stripping.

Every July, Thao Thi Dinh’s family in Seo Pa Cheo village, Ban Xeo commune, harvests flax for weaving. After harvesting, Dinh dries the flax stalks in the sun before stripping them into fibers.

The flax fibers are pounded in a mortar until soft, then connected, rolled into rolls, soaked in water and boiled until the flax fibers are soft and white, then dried in the sun. After that, Ms. Dinh uses a reel to separate the flax fibers, then hangs them on a loom to weave fabric.

Mong women teach their children traditional crafts.

Ms. Thao Thi Dinh confided: “When I was young, I learned brocade embroidery from my grandmother and mother. When I grew up and got married, I learned to sew pants and shirts for my husband and children to preserve the traditional profession of the Mong people.”

After weaving, to create unique brocades, Mong women use printing techniques, beeswax painting, indigo dyeing and embroidery on linen.

Mong brocade products in Ban Xeo are decorated with different patterns and motifs on linen fabric, with the main colors being white, red, yellow, green and purple... The motifs and patterns on Mong costumes are mainly geometric patterns, which are horizontal lines, long bold borders or broken corners, creating square, rectangular and diamond shapes.

Ms. Chau Thi Su, Seo Pa Cheo village, Ban Xeo commune said: All Mong women know how to weave, embroider, and sew clothes for themselves and their family members. From a young age, girls are taught by their grandmothers and mothers to embroider and sew traditional costumes.

Linen weaving.

Currently, the Mong people in Ban Xeo still maintain the traditional profession of spinning linen, weaving, embroidering brocade, and sewing traditional costumes. Not only do they create environmentally friendly products to serve daily life needs, but they also have the meaning of preserving and conserving the cultural and spiritual values of the Mong people.

After weaving linen, the Mong people dye it indigo before making clothes.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of Ban Xeo Commune People's Committee, said: To preserve and promote the cultural values of the Mong people, the Party Committee and the commune government have established cooperative groups; proactively created 3 OCOP products from linen; linked with units and cooperatives to purchase linen products for the people; at the same time, brought textile products to the market, combined production with tourism development to increase income.

Now, in addition to the value of connecting traditional culture, handicraft products from the linen spinning and weaving profession of the Mong people in Ban Xeo have followed tourists everywhere.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nguoi-mong-ban-xeo-gin-giu-nghe-se-lanh-det-vai-post648468.html