Racer

What is your traveling philosophy?

love em and leave em!

31 years old
From Denver, United States
Currently in Denver, United States

Our Curious World

The world is a fascinating place! Working in 23 different countries, Experiential Learning International and our volunteers have seen some crazy stuff.

June 30, 2009 (1)

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Quality Protection

One of the first things Westerners notice upon arrival in the lush, beautiful country of Vietnam, is the iconic conical hat. While these hats appear throughout East and South East Asia, it seems that in Vietnam they has most captured the imagination of wandering traveller.

As legend goes, long ago, before humans wore clothing, they were completely exposed to the elements, especially during the deluge of monsoon rains. One day, a giant woman descended from the sky wearing 4-large round leaves, as big as the entire sky. The woman protected the exposed humans from the sun and the rains. She twirled around to dispel the clouds and provided nourishment for the people. They in turn worshipped their protectress and from her learned the secrets of growing crops. She would tell beautiful stories to the people and they would lay for hours just listening to her speak. During one such story, as the people slipped off into sleep, the giant woman left them. When they awoke they built a temple in her memory, honoring her as the "rain-shielding" goddess. They follower her example and stitched palm leaves together over a bamboo frame to protect themselves from the elements.

These hats, called non la in Vietnamese, while generally only worn by women, transcend social and economic class. Workers in the rice fields wear them to protect themselves from the sun and rain, while the upper echelons of Vietnamese society utilize the non la for their beauty and fine craftsmanship. The most beautiful of the hats, contain no visible knots and are noted for their evenly spaced bamboo frame. Small objects and poetry on bits of paper are often slipped in between the palm leaves, only becoming visible when held up to the light.

The non la is the iconic souvenir from SE Asia and is unique in that it is not only a tourist souvenir, but also a well-loved and revered symbol of Vietnamese culture.

Experiential Learning International
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