Kim Son district, Ninh Binh Vietnam is famous for the cultivation of sedges and making crafts from the sedge. Kim Son sedge weaving is associated with nature because the main material to make the products from the sedge is as simple as nature in this land. Up to now, Kim Son handicraft products have been present in more than 20 countries and regions in the world.
Traditional sedge weaving village
The sedge weaving village was originated from the time that Kim Son was only the wilderness, however, this land was given the special present – sedge grass. According to local people in this area, the sedge has been in Kim Son for nearly two centuries. After a hundred years of embankment and sea encroachment, Kim Son people have created immense land to grow sedge grass.
Sedge grass has the same growth cycle as that of rice. Sedge is harvested in fifth and tenth lunar month. In this time, the agricultors will cut sedge from the field. Sedge flowers are brown, simple, vibrating in the wind, spreading the gentle fragrance in the harvest season.
The process of growing sedge is like that of rice: land preparation, crop establishment, water use and management, nutrient management, crop health, and harvesting. The quality of the sedge depends significantly on coordinating the salty water and fresh water in an appropriate and harmonious manner. The irrigation system for sedge plantation is as important as that in growing rice. Freshly harvested sedge are cut, dried and brought in the market, and then weave into mats and other products that you can admire in a Halong bay on land tour.
Sedge – symbol of the village
Sedge is the main material of the sedge weaving. For sedge growers, sedge is attached to the profession throughout their lives. The sedge is the symbol of the people encroaching on the sea. Following the footsteps of the sea-encroaching people, sedge always passes the challenge of the salt water, of the sea storm.
On Kim Son land, soft and shining sedge grasses, acting as a link between the sea and the land, the hard-working, healthy people and rich nature. Sedge grass is also the link between Kim Son and other parts of the country and the world, contributing a large part to economic development, culture, and tourism. The strength of the sedge weaving industry in Kim Son is the production of essential consumer products of the people.
The most prominent in the products from the sedge weaving of Kim Son to the sedge mat. Sedge mats are made from a process of creative and hard work, careful from every stage from picking sedge, drying sedge to dying sedge so that the mats are bright red and durable, especially the weaving flowers on that mats. Workers must be fast, flexible and careful to have the beautiful mats.
In the past, the products of Kim Son sedge is mainly sedge mats (Kim Son sedge mats is very durable and beautiful, hard to find anywhere comparable). Today, the products are made from sedge very rich and diverse. There are also carpet, lanterns, trays, boxes, plates, cups, cups, hats, handbags, etc., also made of sedge.
After visiting the Architectural Complex of Phat Diem Cathedral, visitors who go there with Ninh Binh group tour can look for some souvenir products at the souvenir shops next to the stone church or along Phat Diem town, as gifts for friends and relatives.
For more information/details: ninh binh tourism, hoa lu tam coc 1 day tour, bai dinh – trang an 1 day tour.
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