The custom of worshiping these paintings is preserved by the Dao people from generation to generation, creating a distinct culture.
Ha Van Tai is one of the few people who still holds the profession of drawing worship pictures of the Dao people in Quang Ninh province. Tai lives in Na Bac village, Dong Hai commune, Tien Yen district, Quang Ninh province, where a large number of Dao ethnic people live. Though his house is located deep in the village, many people still come to ask him to paint.
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Ha Van Tai is one of the few people who still holds the profession of drawing worship paintings of the Dao people. |
Living some dozen kilometers from Tai's house, Ban Sinh Phuong from Khe Luong village, Ky Thuong commune, Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province, came to visit Tai to ask him to draw worship paintings. Phuong said that "for the Dao ethnic minority group, worship paintings are so important that every family must have because without them, it will be impossible to conduct ancestors worshiping rituals.” Phuong added that at these important ceremonies or when an ancestral altar is set up, there must be paintings to worship three deities of the Dao people, namely Thuong Thanh, Ngoc Thanh and Thai Thanh. According to Phuong, heads of the families are responsible for buying worship paintings.
In a talk with Ha Van Tai, he revealed that it takes about two months to paint a set of worship paintings, so sometimes he has to eat and sleep at the owner's house to paint. A set of worship paintings consists of 12 pictures with different contents and expressions. The main characters in the pictures are the three deities who govern the heaven, the earth and the underworld according to the Dao people's conception. Worship paintings are drawn in folk style with realistic depictions, in which the deities have different faces but keep majestic features and the main colors are blue, red, purple, yellow, white, and concretized in every detail.
Today, although printing technology is advanced, the Dao people still keep their custom of worshiping paintings, not printed pictures. Therefore, painters like Ha Van Tai play an important role for the Dao people. However, what worries such painters is that the Dao painting profession is in danger of being falling into oblivion because they find it difficult to find successors. According to Mr. Tai, in this profession, apart from talent, a successful painter must understand the customs and habits of the Dao people, love the group’s cultural identity and especially does not mind material things.
Translated by Mai Huong