Today’s
A Journey through
Aesthetic Realms
will be presented in
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
with subtitles in Arabic,
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hungarian, Indonesian, Hungarian, Indonesian,
Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Mongolian,
Persian, Portuguese, Persian, Portuguese,
Russian and Spanish.
Since time immemorial,
the Aulacese (Vietnamese)
have been accustomed
to wearing a hat.
Everyone would wear
a hat,
be it the ancient king
or everyday people.
Some hats,
such as the turban,
are characteristic
of each region.
There is one
that is popular
throughout the country,
that is the ready-to-wear
turban, also known as
the traditional
crown-like hat.
In today’s program,
we are pleased to
introduce a number of
Aulacese graceful hats,
especially
the elegant crown hat,
often worn with
the traditional long dress.
In olden days,
Aulacese women often
wore their hair long.
Thus, when working,
they had to roll their hair
up neatly.
First, they rolled the hair
in a cloth made of
crepe or velvet,
wrapping the hair
into a tube-like shape.
This head-dress nowadays
has become
a ready-to-wear headgear
as an ornament
which can be worn
with the traditional
four-panel dress or
traditional long dress.
Similarly,
men in the old days,
to avoid their hair
getting entangled and
to stop perspiration beads
from rolling down
their faces while
doing daily labor work,
often used a piece of
cloth to tie up their hair,
then knotted it
at their forehead.
This style looks
like the head of an axe,
and is thus called
axe-head turban.
Later, this axe-head
turban evolved into
the “lương” turban.
The word “lương” means
“honesty” or
“having a conscience.”
Wearing the “lương”
turban reminds people
to uphold honesty.
In the past,
when going out,
the elders tied their hair
bun-like and donned
the traditional long dress
along with
the “lương” turban,
a costume considered
dignified for someone
who honored politeness
and righteousness.
The “lương” turban
is often a piece of
plant-based silk or cloth,
wrapped around one’s
head in many circles.
Regardless
how it is wrapped,
it must clearly form the
shape of the word “One”
or “Human” at the center
of the forehead.
The word “One” refers to
the only Way (Truth)
which encompasses all.
One who comprehends
the Truth will act wisely,
according to
Heaven’s will.
The word “Human”
means “human being.”
In order to be called
a human,
one must possess the
befitting noble qualities.
Putting the word “One”
or “Human” on the head
is to remind ourselves
and others of the Way
of Heaven and Earth and
the Way of being human.
This wrapping of the
turban is very meticulous
and takes time.
Later, to avoid
the inconvenience of
wrapping and undoing it,
the Aulacese thought of
making a ready-to-wear
headgear and just
putting it on as needed.
That was the birth of
the traditional crown hat
in about 1920.
A professional will now
explain more about
the characteristics of
the crown-like turban,
as well as the difference
in style for men
versus women.
For the men,
the turban’s width is
about 5 centimeters;
for the women,
the turban’s width
is only 2 centimeters.
Men’s traditional turban
has 9 rings: 8 main rings
and 1 supporting ring.
As for women, in the past,
the turban was very low,
about 16 main rings
and 1 supporting ring.
Nowadays, women often
wear high turbans, so
the turbans are made of
20 rings or 24 rings
or 28 rings.
Depending on the style,
if a turban is too high,
we reduce its width,
so it looks neater
and more beautiful.
If a turban is too low, we
increase its width a little.
To keep a crown turban
in good condition, we
shouldn’t let it get wet.
Place it face up like this
and don’t place
heavy things on it.
Men’s turban has
a lid atop and is worn
like an ordinary hat.
Women’s turban should
be worn about half way
above the forehead,
then it’s very nice.
The key to making
a beautiful turban
is keeping the rings
round and even.
Usually, making it with
the cloth widthwise
is much more beautiful
than using the cloth
lengthwise.
For velvet, we mainly
don’t let its surface
be crushed.
Wrapping a turban
properly and beautifully
will enhance the dignity
of the turban wearer.
To have such a turban
requires the skill
and experience
for each phase.
A turban maker will now
share the technique
of making a woman’s
traditional crown hat.
The making of
a crown-like turban
has 4 stages: cutting,
measuring, sewing,
and wrapping.
The measuring, cutting,
sewing and wrapping
of a man’s turban and
a woman’s turban
are basically the same.
The first stage
is measuring.
Measure
round one’s head.
This measurement is 54.
We’ll make
a 25-ring turban.
First, cut the paper
the length of the head
measurement,
which is 54 plus 2.
Next, we cut two pieces
of paper to make
the word “Human.”
This is
the “Human” piece.
We have 2 of them.
The length of
the first ring is 1/3 of
the head measurement.
For example,
the first ring: 1/3 of the
head measurement is 18,
the second ring is cut
3 centimeters longer,
that is 21centimeters,
and the third ring is
3centimeters longer,
which is 24 centimeters,
and so on.
The first ring is 1/3 of
the head measurement.
The subsequent rings are
each 3 centimeters longer
than the ring before it.
There are 11
separate rings and
1 connecting ring in total.
For the connecting ring,
cut long pieces of paper
and join them
to have 11 meters.
After cutting the paper,
we will cut the cloth.
First, cut the cloth
for the first paper ring.
Then cut hemming cloth
for the remaining rings.
Finally, cut the cloth for
the two “Human” pieces.
Now comes the sewing.
First, sew the cloth
for the first ring.
Use soft paper to line
the cloth to sew the hem.
Two pieces of cloth
make up the word
“Human.”
The last ring, we don’t
sew but use paste to glue
the cloth onto the paper.
Everything is ready now.
Let’s wrap a turban.
Use a cylindrical tube
to wrap the first ring
around it.
Hold it firm with the pins.
After finishing
the first ring, attach
the word “Human” on it.
Next, attach 11
separate rings in order,
from short to long.
After gluing 11 separate
rings, do the same
for the connected ring.
Next, glue the last ring
of the crown hat.
After finishing
the wrapping,
remove the pins before
the paste hardens.
We’ve just finished
a woman’s
25-ring crown hat.
Professor
Dr. Trần Văn Khê,
an honorary member of
the International Music
Council of the United
Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO),
stated: “Áo dài
(long dress) is Aulacese
national costume…
Throughout a long time
that I’ve been involved
in traditional folk music,
whenever performing, I
always wore a long dress
with the crown hat… and
was always welcomed and
praised wherever I go.”
Not only the Aulacese
but people from abroad
also adore the Aulacese
traditional costume.
In June 2008,
more than 80 Miss World
contestants appeared
in the long dress
in the program
“Graceful Long Dress,”
and the honor as
best long dress wearer
belonged to
Miss Venezuela,
Dayana Mendoza.
In 2010, Miss India,
Nicole Faria,
in the long dress and
crown hat, won the title
at the Miss Earth contest
in Nha Trang,
a beautiful coastal city
in Central Âu Lạc.
A long dress with crown
hat when combined with
an overcoat will enhance
a woman’s elegance.
At the beginning,
an overcoat was a part of
the royal costume
reserved for a mandarin's
wife or a lady.
With decorative images
such as those of
the phoenix, the sun,
or five primary colors,
an overcoat was donned
in important royal court
ceremonies
or public appearances.
Today, an overcoat
adorns the long dress
with a crown hat in
important events such as
death anniversaries,
weddings,
engagement parties,
village festivals or
New Year celebrations.
Be Veg
Go Green
O Master,
a painting vendor
gave this to you.
Where is he now?
He left already!
This is an Aulacese dress.
I’ve introduced it
to you before.
Today
I’m wearing it for you.
It’s not because
the dress is beautiful,
but the model.
The beauty is from inside,
not outside.
Have you seen an
Aulacese dress before?
(No.)
It’s not easy to make.
Is it beautiful? ( Yes.)
Why do you
keep clapping?
(It’s beautiful.)
Inside is even
more beautiful.
Normally,
we don’t wear this.
Only brides wear this.
Yes, yes.
Normally
they don’t wear this;
they only wear
the inner part.
Let me show you.
Does it look good?
(Yes.) Okay.
These kinds of
Aulacese clothes
are made according to
your measurements.
You see, it’s different.
I want to show you
why this is good.
If this side is creased,
it will be different.
Or if this side is not good,
then it doesn’t look good.
I like classic things.
I like to have the original,
not the altered style.
If we alter the style,
why not just wear
something else?
Never mind.
It is to let you know
our culture.
We not only
have very good music
but also
very nice clothing.
I like these clothes
the most when I go
to other countries.
You won’t feel bored
with traditional
Aulacese dresses.
They are suitable
for any occasion.
Even if you wear it
to shop for groceries,
it’s still appropriate.
Yes, yes.
In ancient Âu Lạc,
they all wore dresses
like this to shop
for groceries,
carry water,
or do anything else.
That’s right.
They also had
different styles.
They had another style,
which was worn
more often,
and it looked very nice.
If you wear this to attend
a meeting or a party,
it’s also very formal.
A dedication
by Giáng Hương.
The traditional long dress
with crown hat also
have been honored as
Supreme Master Ching Hai’s
chosen attire when
meeting with members of
royal families and heads
of state worldwide, or
At charity activities,
public lectures
and meetings
with thousands of our
Association members
from all over the world.
During formal events
attended by citizens from
many different cultures,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has donned
the Aulacese
áo dài and
its accompanying
crown-like headgear such as during the occasions when
the Honorable Mayor of Honolulu, Frank Fasi, and the six Mid-western
governors from the United States of American proclaimed
The Supreme Master
Ching Hai Day
October 1993
and in February 1994,
respectively; in her visits
to the kings, queens, and
royal families in Africa
as well as in Cambodia
in 1995 and 1996;
at the Parliament
of the World’s Religions
in South Africa
in December 1999;
and at the Gusi Peace
Prize ceremony
in the Philippines
in November 2006.
Further,
on the anniversary of
The Supreme Master
Ching Hai Day
in Formosa (Taiwan)
in 1995, she was
the blessed image
of the compassionate
Quan Yin Bodhisattva
in the white Aulacese
áo dài and veil.
In the graceful long dress
and the accompanying
hat appearing
like a shining halo,
together with
a softly flowing overcoat,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
has reflected
in part the brilliant
and pure beauty of
Heaven through áo dài,
the national traditional
costume of Âu Lạc,
Thank you for watching
our program today
featuring the
Aulacese (Vietnamese)
traditional crown hat.
Please tune in to
Supreme Master
Television
for more on Aulacese
traditional programs
in future broadcasts.
Coming up next is
Vegetarianism:
The Noble Way of Living,
after Noteworthy News.
Farewell for now.