VietNamNet Bridge - Pottery kilns of many families in the imperial city of Hue and the ancient town of Hoi An are very busy producing terra-cotta statues of the Kitchen God to serve the high demand of the market during the lunar New Year holiday.

Hue and Hoi An have made these statues for hundreds of years. At present, this traditional craft is pursued by several households in Dia Linh village of Huong Toan commune, Huong Tra town in Thua Thien – Hue province and Thanh Ha Pottery Village in Hoi An town of Quang Nam province.

The molds are made of wood. The molds must be cleaned very often, so the motifs of statues are smooth and clear.

Mr. Vo Van Danh, 32, a resident of Dia Linh village, learned this trade from his father, who has made Kitchen God statues for over 40 years.

A batch of statues is completed in two days.

Pottery workers said in the past several years they have produced color statues. However, the most popular ones are terra-cotta statues.

The prices for these statues are very cheap, from VND500 to VND2,000. About 400,000 statues are made every year for the Day of the Kitchen God.

VNE