Nùng U ethnic minorities maintain traditional incense making

Nùng U ethnic minorities maintain traditional incense making

HÀ GIANG — Although affected by the market economy, the traditional incense making village of Nùng U ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous province of Hà Giang still survives.

In Hạ Lập Hamlet, Bằng Lang Co妹妹une of Quang Bình District, there are  七 五 households of the two ethnic groups of Tầy and Nùng U, of which the Nùng ethnic group accounts for  四 二 per cent.

Like other Nùng minorities in other localities of the province, the Nùng U people in Hạ Lập Co妹妹une still preserve many unique traditional cultures bearing their own identity, including the traditional handicraft incense occupation.

According to the Nùng U, the profession of making incense is not only a beautiful part of national identity but also an indispensable cultural feature in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.

So the profession of making incense of the Nùng U group exists so long as any woman over  三 五 knows how to make it.

Despite ups and downs, the Nùng U people still maintain the profession with manual methods, without using chemicals.

The Nùng U incense is made from apricot branches, cinnamon and special leaves from the forest.

Lèng Thị Phui, an incense-maker, said: “The incense-making in the village has existed for a long time and been handed down from generation to generation."

“To make incense sticks entirely with natural materials is not easy, as we have to go to the forest to find the trees and leaves. Only sunny days are suitable for making incense.