Hanoi's artisan carries on lantern making art

"Praise to the one who skillfully drew the lantern/ Lifelike paper horses and paper elephants circle around."

Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Quyen (Cao Vien Commune, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi) sang me the old song about the traditional folk toy that has been a favorite of Vietnamese children for many generations as he painstakingly crafted den keo quan (a lantern with vivid, rotating paper cutouts). 

Artisan Nguyen Van Quyen has been making den keo quan for about 70 years. Photo: Lai Tan/The Hanoi Times

Craftsman Nguyen Van Quyen remains nimble at the age of 85. His hands are still adept at the cutting and gluing of paper figures.

Talking about the origin of the lantern, artisan Nguyen Van Quyen said: Once upon a time, a man named Luc Thuc had to take care of his mother after losing his father when he was a young boy. He felt sorry for his mother, who was left alone at home while he went out to work, so he made her a lantern with paper animals attached, with lights inside, and when it spun, it looked like the paper animals were running around. His mother was overjoyed when the lantern was finished, and neighborhood children often visited his home to play with it.

The king was profoundly affected by the tale of Luc Thuc's filial piety and gave the populace orders to create lanterns on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month in honor of Luc Thuc's example. People have been creating these lanterns ever since.

Paper figures inside the lantern. Photo: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times

According to craftsman Nguyen Van Quyen, making a lantern involves many elaborate steps. First, you have to choose suitable bamboo, cut it carefully, build a frame, mount a vertical pole, put a pinwheel on it, then make a circle in the center of the lantern, put paper animals inside, and place a candle underneath. When the candle is lit, the fire will heat the air inside, causing the pinwheel to spin and the paper figures to rotate. Through the light of the candle, you will see the silhouette of the figures following each other in a circle, which is very pleasing to the eye.

Nguyen Van Quyen said: "More than just a toy, the lanterns have contributed to educating patriotism, filial piety, and national pride." The soldiers, horses, and chariots recall the wars to repel foreign invaders. Later, other paper figures were added, such as characters from fairy tales, folk paintings, and others. Many creative children can tear off the available pieces, cut out their favorite cartoon characters, and stick them on.

"I am often invited to museums and schools to introduce the lantern and demonstrate how to make lanterns. I am very happy that children are still interested in traditional toys," shared the artisan.

Artisan Nguyen Van Quyen teaches young people how to make den keo quan. Photo: Lai Tan/The Hanoi Times

Quyen has been making lanterns for over 70 years. He said he used to make lanterns for his children and grandchildren to play with and sell them to anyone who wanted to buy. There was no market like today.

In the past, there were many families making lanterns in Cao Vien Commune, but now the whole village has given up because the work is poorly paid. A lantern is very elaborate and takes seven to eight hours to make, but the average price is VND150,000 (US$6). Currently, only Quyen is passionate about the job in the village. 

"Just because I love the job, I still do it meticulously to this day. In my family, all my children and grandchildren know how to do it, but no one wants to inherit the trade because it is tedious and poorly paid," said Quyen.

His greatest wish is that young people join hands to preserve and develop this traditional folk toy to keep the cultural beauty of the ancestors.