In Vietnam, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or the Reunion Holiday, is for children. Children are eager for the festival to begin because they are often presented with gifts, such as lanterns or masks, and moon cakes which are not indispensable at the festival. To make beautiful moon cakes of different shapes, such as pigs or carp, molds are essential.
Therefore, some households in Thuong Cung Village, Tien Phong Commune, Thuong Tin, Hanoi these days produce moon cake molds instead of making wooden furniture. A typical mold has a round-shape with a radius of 10cm or a square-shape of 7 or 8cm in length per side with a height of 4 or 5cm. Sometimes there are much bigger molds.
Therefore, some households in Thuong Cung Village, Tien Phong Commune, Thuong Tin, Hanoi these days produce moon cake molds instead of making wooden furniture. A typical mold has a round-shape with a radius of 10cm or a square-shape of 7 or 8cm in length per side with a height of 4 or 5cm. Sometimes there are much bigger molds.
By Doan Duc & Anh Quan
Wood lathing process.
Carving patterns for molds.
Carving scales for a fish-shaped mold.
A customer chooses moon cake molds.
Each day, a worker can produce from 3 to 5 molds depending on how complicated the products are.
Molds with traditional patterns.
Calculating the right rate for molds.
Cut after the pattern is drawn.
Shape the mold to a customer’s wish.
The first step is to make the mold’s hoop from a piece of wood.
Moon cake molds at a shop in Thuong Cung Village, Tien Phong Commune, Thuong Tin District, Hanoi.