|
Smoking tobacco with a hookah bowl used to be an indispensable tradition of polite guest reception for poets, writers, aristocrats and even sections of common people in the old society of Vietnam. Enjoying tobacco and flower-scented tea, guests and hosts had the chance to contemplate the hookah's ceramic bowl, often discussing the cornplicated and unique patterns or legends decorated on it. The hookah was known as a refined pleasure, allowing users to feel elevated yet still close to this world of dust. A proverb states: "To miss you greatly as to miss a tobacco pipe; once I buried my pipe, I dug it immediately." Hookah Bowl – The Mark of One’s Rank See photos: Hookah Bowl Up until to now, the origins of hookah bowls in Vietnam is still a mystery. One thing that is celtain is that in the old days, pipe tobacco was a part of Vietnamese people's daily life. In addition to its use in welcoming guests, the hookah was also used in various celebrations. Along with hookah bowls, people also smoked with a farmer's pipe (a pipe made of bamboo, measuring 40 cm in length, and popular with the working class). It is believed that farmers usually took pipes with them to smoke tobacco after their farming work, which is how the name “farmer’s pipe” eventual1y developed. In contrast, the hookah pipe had a more aristocratic and sophisticated reputation. Thanks to its widespread use, hookah bowls vary greatly in style, matching with their owners' tastes. Basic hookah bowls were made of ceramic and wood, decorated in simple patterns. Hookah bowls used by aristocrats were elaborate works of art. The bowls featured complicated illustrations of the four seasons and of the four supernatural creatures (dragon, unicorn, tortoise, phoenix). The owners' social position and aesthetic sense were reflected in the well-carved silver or gold bowls. A camp bed and a tea chest displaying a Bat Trang ceramic tea-set and a hookah bowl were indispensable utensils in the living room of a Hanoi rniddle class family in the early of 20th century. However, at the present, the delight of smoking tobacco with a hookah bowl has almost disappeared. Today it is nearly impossiple to find a hookah bowl in daily life. whether it is an exquisite art work or a household item. Smoking tobacco with a hookah bowl seems to have become an outdated delight. How to smoke tobacco with a Hookah Bowl See photos: Hookah Bowl The majority of hookah bowls are ceramic, with a round shape and the diameter of a rice bowl. A water container is located under the bottom, encased in a larger bowl. When smoking, one crams a pinch of tobacco into the hole above bowl mouth, then fires the tobacco and inhales deeply. Flames from the burning tobacco mingle with steam from the water container and, like the combination of Ying and Yang, give the smoker a unique feeling of ecstasy. ln the old times, aristocrats usually employed servants to hang up the pipe and light the tobacco. It was also necessaly for smokers to prepare a pot of good tea to curb the ecstasy feeling after smoking. More here: Part 2 Shrekbaby - Asia Tourism Holiday
Related Articles -
hoian tours, nhatrang tours, hue tours,
|
