You Light Up My Life

In Hoi An there are lanterns everywhere that provide light and are great for decorations!

Lanterns were first brought to Hoi An in the 16th century when the Chinese and the Japanese settled in Vietnam.  For 400 years, lanterns were used in shops and homes and are a symbol of the town.  Sadly, the traditional lanterns were forgotten during the Vietnam war.  A master lantern maker, Huynh Van Ba, who is now 82 years old, revived the art in the 1990’s.  He loves making lanterns in his spare time and has passed down the tradition to his family.  Today, his workshop is the second biggest in Hoi An, and he continues to share his expertise.

Through the Backstreet Academy, Mikhaila, my Dad and I decided to go to a lantern making workshop to learn more about the traditional craft.  Our facilitator brought us to the complex where everyone was busy either making lantern frames, hauling huge bamboo trees, or preparing the fabrics.

We were even able to meet Huynh Van Ba, and his daughter-in-law led our session.

To make the frame for the lanterns, the first step is is to soak tall bamboo trees in a swamp so they become flexible.

Then they are chopped into small thin sticks and holes are drilled into each end.  After that, a thin wire is threaded through the holes.

We wrapped the wires around curvy wooden blocks, one at the top and one at the bottom, so the bamboo sticks fit perfectly.

The top wooden piece

The bottom wooden piece

Half way done

Done this part

Some workers helping us out

Then we pushed the top of the lanterns down a thick, “coat hanger like” wire attached to one of the wooden pieces; the frame was nearly done!

Pulling it to make the lantern shape

Look at the difference

Mikhaila and her lantern skeleton

The last, and probably the most time consuming, part of making the frame was wrapping it with a string.  We were given an interesting type of needle with thread attached to it and wrapped it around each of the sticks twice.

The needle and thread

Cheese!

Cheese!

Sewing the frame

Okay, the frame is done, now let’s do the hardest part… Putting the cloth on the outside!  We were able to pick one, two or four colours.  It was so hard to choose which colours to use!

I picked purple and turquoise, Mikhaila chose dark blue and purple and my dad selected all red.  First, we spread glue on four bamboo sticks.

Then we waited for about 10-15 minutes before putting one of the pieces of the cloth on the frame.  We repeated the same step on the other side with the same colour.  We had to be careful not to cut the strings when we were trimming the extra bits of material.

We repeated steps one and two on the other sides with a different colour.  I think this was the hardest part, because we had to pull the cloth really tight and make sure there were no wrinkles in it.  Last, but not least, we attached a tassel to the bottom of the lanterns.

Taa daa!  All done!

All done

Taa daa!

We tested them on light bulbs and they looked stunning.

When I saw the the lanterns in Hoi An, I never knew how much work went into them and how long they take to make.  We took two hours to make them and we didn’t even soak, cut, or drill the bamboo!  Now I have an even greater appreciation for this traditional art.

We had a great time making the lanterns and learning about their history.  I realize that if it was not for people like Huynh Van Ba, these art forms can become lost forever.  I hope that this tradition continues to be passed down through the ages and receives the appreciation that it deserves.