VietNamNet Bridge – Annually, from the 4th to 16th day of the lunar year, families in Hue city--Vietnam’s ancient capital, often hold a ritual called “cung bon mang.”
The offerings include betel and areca, wine, sticky rice, sweetened porridge, portraits and especially bamboo-made flowers.

Portraits (men, women, animals) and bamboo-made flowers are considered as substitutes, which will replace families to suffer from all bad lucks in the new year. The ritual also aims to wish for luck and happiness.

Nguyen Thi Hanh, a bamboo flower maker, said that she began selling bamboo-made flowers from the 4th day of the lunar year. A pair of flower is priced at VND4,000 ($0.2). Hanh earned VND50,000 of profit from selling bamboo flower a day.
This kind of flower is indispensable in Hue people’s “cung bon mang” rite because of what it represents: the bamboo tree is the symbol of Vietnamese villages and tradition. It also represents the strong, everlasting spirit of the country. Natural bamboo flowers are a precious masterpiece of nature since the bamboo tree only flowers once every 100 years.

It is easy to make bamboo flowers. A young bamboo tree is chosen and sawn into pieces approximately 20 centimeters long and as big as a thumb. Then a broad blade is used to strip and curl the bamboo. Lastly, the makers use their hands to curb the bamboo into the shape of a flower. The bamboo flowers are available in many colors but red is the most popular since it’s believed to bring good luck.

Each kind of flower has its own beauty and meaning. Bamboo-made flowers have become a unique tradition of Hue.


Dan Tri