The cat in Dong Ho paintings
Outstanding qualities
According to scholar Phan Minh Hong, domestic cat (scientific name: Felis Catus) has been raised in Vietnamese households since a few hundred years before Christ, which was in the late reign of Hung Vuong - Thuc Phan in Vietnam, and they have become loving family pets.
Cats are characterized as animals that like lying in clean, warm places, and sunbathing. They have a careful, neat and agile nature. Cats often hunt at night thanks to their striking blue eyes which work best at night, along with the advantages of gentle movement, good climbing skills and smooth fur, so they do not make loud noises, and easily reach and catch the prey. During the day, cats often lie rolling with eyes half-lidded to rest and sunbathe in remote and discreet places. And the image of a cat has appeared in poetry, folk songs, proverbs and works of art naturally.
In the Dong Ho painting “Rat Wedding”, people see the image of Dr. Rat proudly returning home and getting married but still having to give gifts to the cat sitting with his tail crouched in a gentle manner, reaching out his hand to receive a small gift in the sound of drums and trumpets.
Vietnamese folk artists also carved the images of cats on the carvings in sacred places such as in the communal house of Binh Luc village (Quang Ninh), and in the stele of Linh Quang pagoda (Hai Phong) with the scene of cat family gathering.
In Vietnamese literature, To Hoai, a well-known writer of animal stories, wrote about the cat in the work “Aunt mouse” with very vivid lines: “The cat is sluggish and serious like a monastery teacher, wearing a dark robe. He has a noble and bourgeois character.”
Le Van Nam, a lecturer at the University of Culture in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in Vietnamese culture, there are various folk sayings and proverbs related to the image of a cat; for example, as upset as an ear-cut cat (meaning very upset), a cat that is proud of its long tail (implying complacency), The cat climbs an areca tree to ask where the mouse has been, the mouse has been to the market afar to buy ingredients for the death anniversary feast of the cat’s father (a nursery song that depicts the cat’s pretense and the mouse’s wisdom). Each has meaning related human life with moral lessons.
Being life-related
According to Mr. Phan Minh Hong, the cat is in the 4th place of 12 zodiac animals, behind the mouse, buffalo and tiger. It has prominent features and great significance in folklore as well as in feng shui. Accordingly, the image of a cat moving flexibly and waiting patiently for an opportunity before acting makes cats auspicious animals that can neutralize murderous intent and bring good fortune to the household owner. For this reason, many people prefer decorating the cat statue in the house.
With the agile and flexible characteristics of cats, humans have also created a cat martial art that many people follow. Master Ho Bach An said that in Vietnamese martial arts, cats are also animals that inspire martial arts with their flexibility, silence, good climbing and leaping ability, which is also inspiration for airlifting. In addition, many movements of scratching and slapping with two sets of sharp claws to strike as fast as lightning are the inspirations of cat martial arts moves.
Cat martial arts is one of the good martial arts. The movements of cats can be simulated and transformed into martial arts, self-defense moves, and effective combat. Therefore, cat martial arts came into existence quite early and the lesson ‘Miao cleansing face’ is one of the long-standing cat martial arts with about 32 movements. In addition, there are also some typical cat martial arts lessons such as the ‘one-sided lynx’ and the ‘white cat’s fist’.
Meanwhile, within the film industry, many Vietnamese cartoons also use the image of the cat to tell witty and playful stories. When the country was integrated to the world, cat images were also introduced to Vietnam such as the Kitty Cat, Tom in the American cartoon series Tom and Jerry, Luna in the Sailor, and especially the image of the Japanese robotic cat Doraemon, which is known by many people around the world, including Vietnamese people.
Source: News