Create a dragon mascot from ornamental plants

17/01/2024 1482 0
The dragon mascot is shaped by Cho Lach flower village artisans using ornamental plants, priced from tens of thousands to 50 million VND each for the Year of the Dragon.

For more than a week now, the yard of Ms. Cao Thi Tuyet, 60 years old, in Hung Khanh Trung B commune, Cho Lach district has been bustling with workers carrying the wrong bushes for gathering. Her family previously only grew kumquat trees to sell during Tet. More than 10 years ago, they experimented with using dust to create mascot shapes, and found that the output was stable, so they continued to maintain the profession until now.

Next to it, Ms. Tuyet's husband is using a machine to weld iron bars to form a dragon-shaped frame. After the frame is placed in the pot, workers carefully use wire to tie the wrong branches in, adjusting for balance and aesthetics. In addition to the mane, dorsal fin and tail of the dragon are shaped from painted mica, the dragon's horns and beard are made from cork tree roots and tamanu fruit, which are abundant locally.

Ms. Tuyet said that according to folk beliefs, dragons are a symbol of luck, so in previous Tet years, even though it was not the year of the Dragon, the family still made more than 10 dragons from ornamental plants to sell. This year, the number of dragon shapes she created increased to 50, because the demand for dragon-shaped ornamental plants during Tet will increase.

Mrs. Tuyet creates dragon shapes from ornamental kumquats to sell during Tet. Photo: Hoang Nam

Mrs. Tuyet creates dragon shapes from ornamental kumquats to sell during Tet. Photo:  Hoang Nam

"Among mascots, besides tigers, dragons are also difficult to shape because the face needs to have a 'god'," Ms. Tuyet said, adding that each pair of dragon shapes from ornamental plants costs from 2 to 8 million VND. On average, each day, one person can complete 2-3 small dragons of about 1.2 m. With a 4.5 m long dragon, construction time takes twice as long.

Near Ms. Tuyet's house, Mr. Nguyen Duy Tan is also taking care of more than 20 pairs of dragons shaped from ornamental switches, waiting for traders to pick them up. According to Mr. Tan, this year's less rainy weather is very favorable for kumquat trees. From the 5th lunar month, gardeners start planting bush kumquats to prepare for creating the dragon mascot shape.

The garden owner said that in addition to the main traders from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, due to economic difficulties this year, gardeners have to proactively sell ornamental plants through social networks. "After purchasing ornamental kangaroos, they only need to be watered enough to be able to play for more than a month," Mr. Tan said.

Ornamental kumquat pots shaped like dragon mascots are sold along the road in Hung Khanh Trung B commune, Cho Lach district. Photo: Hoang Nam

Ornamental kumquat pots shaped like dragon mascots are sold along the road in Hung Khanh Trung B commune, Cho Lach district. Photo:  Hoang Nam

About 2 km away, on Highway 57, many pairs of dragons shaped with green trees also began to be displayed. This is one of the oldest and largest bonsai barns in Ben Tre. The garden owner said creating the smallest dragon shape is 3 meters, the largest is 50 meters, the price is from 3 to 50 million VND.

Cho Lach flower village is one of the two largest ornamental flower gardens in the West, covering 600 hectares, with 3,000 households growing flowers and fruit trees, and 15-17 million flower and ornamental plant products for Tet each year. In addition to large ornamental animals, this year according to bonsai establishments in Cho Lach, there are also mini dragons shaped from hydrangeas and pine leaves priced at 75,000-150,000 VND per pot, suitable for the budget of ordinary customers. .

Dr. Bui Thanh Liem, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cho Lach district, said that this year due to the difficult economic situation, people's purchasing power is forecast to decrease by about 30% compared to previous years. Due to the high price of ornamental mascots, the number has also decreased by about half this year.

"Currently, the locality is not affected by severe drought and saltwater intrusion as predicted, but people should not be subjective but need to proactively store water to cope," Mr. Liem said.

Hoang Nam

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