Supernatural creatures made from Ly Son island onion and garlic
Sunday, 28/04/2013 10:03 (GMT+7)
Creatures including dragons, unicorns, tortoises and phoenix, made from 300 kilograms of onion and garlic, specialties of Ly Son island of the central province of Quang Ngai, are on show during an exhibition entitled “Quang Ngai, Spratly islands, Paracel islands and seas and islands cultural heritage” which will last until April 29.
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| The four creatures were made by Nguyen Tai Dat, an officer from the Quang Ngai provincial Centre for Sports and Culture, and his colleagues with their homeland's specialties – onion and garlic. Of them, the 3.5 metre dragon holds its head up high outstandingly with two colours, pink of onion and white of garlic. |
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| The legends say that the four supernatural creatures represent four gods. Each year people organize offering ceremony for these four creatures to wish for peace and prosperity for the country and people. According to Mr. Dat, it took a half of a month for the four creatures to be created, using 300 kilograms of onion and garlic. The arrangement aims to promote Ly Son’s specialties and people’s cultural life, which is linked with the seas and islands. |
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| The unicorn is 1.8 metres high and 1.5 metres long, arranged harmoniously for an imposing impression. |
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| The phoenix with its head up is said to look like a real one. |
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| The tortoise is 2 metres long and its shell is nearly one metre high. |
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| Artisan Vo Hien Dat also sent five boat models to the exhibition, the means of transport that the Paracel Flotilla used to come to East Sea to mark the sea and island sovereignty many centuries ago. |
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| The fishing junk model moves thanks to the wind. From the early 17th to 19th centuries, the feudal state of Vietnam used this kind of transport to take soldiers to Spratly and Paracel islands to inspect, seek yields and mark the sovereignty here. |
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| The wooden barge model was the means of transport popularly used by merchantmen to exchange goods at sea centuries ago. |