2024.03.21 12:48:09
Incense makers in Thanh Hoá busy for Lunar New Year
THANH HOÁ — People in Yên Cát Village of Thanh Hoá Province are busy making incense as Tết (Lunar New Year) is coming nearer.
Making incense is a traditional job of the Thổ ethnic people of Yên Cát Village in Như Xuân District.
Yên Cát incense is made from natural materials such as harabell, resin of canarium plants, charcoal and bamboo, and is absolutely free from chemicals.
Through many sophisticated stages, with skillful hands, Thổ ethnic people in Yên Cát Village have made beautiful incense sticks, which have been very popular with consumers for many years.
After many rounds of filtering, canarium resin is mixed with powder of harabell and charcoal to make a thick and aromatic mixture.
Then, the incense makers roll the paste around bamboo sticks which are dried under the sun for two to three days.
The craft of making incense is passed down from generation to generation of Thổ people.
Yên Cát incense is produced all year round. However, in the last months of the year, the village becomes busier than ever because the traditional new year is approaching.
The incense makers are busy mixing the incense powder, and rolling and drying incense sticks. Everyone is working hard to complete the last orders.
Lương Thị Sao, a long-time incense maker, said that her family has a tradition of making incense sticks, so from a young age, she was used to the scent.
Then she was taught by her grandparents and parents how to combine ingredients and roll the sticks.
“There have been ups and downs with the craft but over the past decade, my family has earned from this,” said Sao.
“Thanks to making incense sticks, my family has a stable income, especially in the months leading up to Tết,” Sao said.
During this time, there might be not enough products to sell, she said.
The craft of incense making has created jobs not only for the villagers but also for workers in neighbouring localities.
In the past, making incense was very difficult because all the stages were done manually. Nowadays, many households in Yên Cát Village are equipped with machines such as dryers, pounders and mixers that help make the work much easier and more productive.
The income of the workers has improved significantly. Many families earn about VNĐ 一 billion (US$ 四 二,000) per year from making incense sticks.
Branding
Implementing the One Co妹妹une One Product (OCOP) progra妹妹e, Như Xuân District authorities mobilised the incense makers to establish a co-operative to produce incense sticks as provincial OCOP products.
