There is a Vietnamese old traditional phrase that said “Cái Răng Cái Tóc Là Góc Con Người” which means “your teeth, your hair is your origin” according to Google Translation. To me, it also means “the teeth, the hair are the foundation of a person.”
Nhuộm răng đen (blacken teeth tradition)
In old Vietnamese tradition before 1945, blackened teeth in Northern Vietnamese villages and other mountain tribal villages were considered to be beautiful. Young unmarried women from the age of 16 to 20 were highly encouraged to dye their teeth black. If you have black teeth you will find a husband sooner for black teeth was the key to a beautiful smile. It was also believed that black teeth was much stronger and created less teeth issues. My grandmother had black teeth and lost only a few teeth during her life time. She died with an almost full set of teeth at the age of 94.
Betel Nuts
Betel Nuts mix
Betel Nut chewing was yet another Vietnamese tradition art form that was thousand year old tradition in Vietnam which required yet another article. The betel nut origin was based up on a love story folklore that transcend in tradition in Vietnamese wedding. Please click on “Betel Nut” to read more.
Blackening Teeth Processes
The technique of blackening teeth was much lengthier and laborious process than just chewing betel nuts. There were two processes. The first process was to stain the teeth red. After the teeth absorbed and kept the red stain, the second process was then to stain the teeth black.
During my mom’s generation, her two oldest sisters were required to have black teeth. My mom’s oldest sister completed the staining process. My mom second older sister who was at the prime age to be married almost blackened her teeth because of the peer pressure during her time. She waited until she was 20. My aunt bought two dyes, the red dye and the black dye. She did not remember or know exactly the chemicals behind the dye that stained the teeth.
Before the start of the staining process, my aunt had to clean and sanitize her teeth. She remembered applying the dye two or three times a week. During the process of staining the teeth, she could not eat any solids in order to keep the teeth stained. My mom mentioned that my aunt would eat only “Cháo” mostly liquid, a Vietnamese rice porridge.
While my aunt waited for the teeth to take on the red stain, there was rumor in the village passed on that black teeth was no longer considered to be beautiful. This was during the French regime. Words and rumor of white teeth being beautiful from the cities finally reached my aunt’s village. My aunt terminated the process and worked on scrapping out the red stain from her teeth. Luckily the red stain was much easier to remove than the black stain.
My aunt told me that she did not chew on betel nuts any how so she did not want black teeth. The rumor was a great opportunity for my aunt to stop the process.
Dye Chemicals
Shellac flakes
Phyllanthus reticulatus
Annually reapplying the dye and the constant chewing betel nuts were the processes of maintenance to keep the teeth vibrantly black.
The blacken teeth tradition slowly phased out after my mom’s generation. One positive aspect of the dyed teeth is that my mom’s oldest sister who is now in her 90s has strong black teeth through out her life. It appears to protect the teeth from cavities and dental problems.
Would I have gone through the teeth blackening process if I was born before 1945? That is a great question. I can easily say “no” now but I do not know what it would be like and how I would I react to the culture and peer pressure back then… Would you?
Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.
References
Thanks to the great references from the articles below. I collected most of my information through the articles for the process of the blackening teeth procedures. I interviewed my aunt and mom for their personal experiences.
http://www.traveldudes.org/travel-tips/tooth-blackening-forgotten-tradition/14811
http://www.visiontimes.com/2016/03/21/blackened-teeth-the-traditional-japanese-sign-of-beauty.html
http://www.thanhniennews.com/travel/a-dyeing-tradition-12709.html
Interesting Ha…had never heard of this…thanks for sharing
During the height of Japan’s teeth blackening phase, which faded out in the mid-19th century, seeing someone’s white teeth was compared with seeing someone’s bones or seeing a mouthful of mealworms…Similarly, in Vietnam, white teeth were associated with wild animals, savage people, and underworld demons. These associations led women to blacken their teeth, disguising this reminder of evil savagery.
The preference for darkened smiles also reflected women’s societal submission to men. Beauty scholar Victoria Sherrow, for instance, notes that ohaguro “was primarily a means to hide a woman’s mouth expressions, something that was also achieved by graceful movements of the hand or a fan.” In a fascinating post on tooth blackening in Southeast Asia at The Gloss, Erin L. Thompson, similarly connects ohaguro to “the cultural practice, still widespread in Asia, of women holding their hands in front of their mouths while laughing.
Thank you, Cynthia for your thoughtful comments. I read similar articles about the white teeth associated with wild animals and savage people. It is pretty interesting for sure. When I asked my aunt who went through half way on the staining process about this, she said it was primarily of choice during her time. The culture dictates what was considered to be beautiful and acceptance. I am thinking peer pressure plays an important role back then as it is now as well.
Thank you for sharing the interesting tidbits about Japanese women and the cultural practices as well. I never thought about the hands in front of the mouths while laughing would be related, very fascinating.