The incense craft of the Nung ethnic minority people in Phia Thap Village, Quoc Dan Commune, Quang Uyen District, Cao Bang Province is contributing to the preservation of a traditional spiritual culture.
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| Stilt houses in peaceful Phia Thap Village, Photos: VNP |
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| Villagers dry the gourd leaves in the sun. |
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| Dry the glue which is made from the gourd leaves. |
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| One of the main materials for making incense is a yellow apricot tree. |
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| Incense is considered the connection between real life and the spiritual world in Vietnamese culture. Making incense has become an indispensable cultural specificity. In the photo: One of the main materials for making incense is a yellow apricot tree. |
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| The sticks are soaked four times in a flour mixture of sawdust and agarwood powder to create beautiful incense sticks. |
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| The incense making craft of the Nung people has a long history. For Phia Thap villagers, making incense is not only portraying their national identity but is also associated with the custom of burning incense in Vietnam. In the photo: Drying the incense in the sun. |
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| Although no one knows when the incense making craft began, this tradition has been handed down from generation to generation in the Nung community. |
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| More than 50 families in Phia Thap Village are involved in this traditional craft. |
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| Drying the incense in the sun. |
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| If the weather is cloudy, it takes three days for the incense to dry. |
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| The sticks are dyed red on the bottom half and dried again, before being tied into bundles. |
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| The most time-consuming stage is drying the incense in the sun. Photos: VNP |