Boats are not only a means of transportation, transportation, fishing, communication, etc., but also a unique cultural product, associated with customs and rituals about rivers. One of the most popular and interesting customs is drawing eyes on boats.
There are many folk beliefs about boat eyes. Fishermen view boats as fish, sea creatures, and must have eyes to see their way and avoid danger.
Another legend in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) says that painting the eyes of a boat on the bow of the boat will prevent the boat from being harmed by sea monsters.
Another story is told, the first Vietnamese king was the one who painted eyes on his boat, because some of his subordinates were eaten by fishers, who were surmised to be sharks. He ordered his subordinates to tattoo and decorate the hull of the boat in a fierce shape to ward off sea monsters. One of the ways to decorate it is to draw eyes on the boat.
Another theory is that the eyes of the boat are the eyes of a buzzard, a large bird that specializes in eating fish at sea, often appearing when there is strong wind and big waves. This is an aggressive creature, based on the theory of “First eagle, Second fish, Third snake, Fourth elephant” to terrify aquatic monsters.
Excerpted from “A Perspective on the Sea”, author Nguyen Thanh Loi
