Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

The pieu headscarf is one of the typical features of the Thai women’s costume. It is made delicately with colourfully embroidered patterns deeply imbued the wild nature. Pieu not only represents the beauty but also reveals the skillfulness and talent of Thai women.

On the black background material, Thai women weave pieu in different styles from various threads which are dyed by a substance extracted from trees’ barks or fruits’ seeds. The patterns on pieu headscarves are embroidered differently, much depending on weaver’s personality, feelings and tastes. Normally, it is made with complicated fringes and harmonious colours of red, yellow and indigo. Particularly, it is decorated with refined embroideries of lozenge-and- zigzag shapes, flowers, streams, etc.

Pieu not only represents the beauty but also reveals the skillfulness and talent of Thai women who will weave the first pieu headscarf as a gift for her lover. In festivals, the man usually expresses his love by snatching the pieu, of course with the girl acting as his “accomplice”. If the girl wishes to express her love first, she will seek to give her pieu headscarf to the man she loves, even by way of intentionally leaving or dropping it at intended places or throwing it towards him provided that the scarf reaches the man.

Before getting married, the girls have to weave many pieu headscarves to present their would-be husbands’ relatives. Hence, they work painstakingly by looms from day and night. It is a Thai tradition that is enjoyed by all.

From: VNP