As the Christmas season approaches, local artisans from Kashmir ready their handmade Christmas ornaments for shipment across the globe.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Deep in the valley of Kashmir, surrounded by the Himalayan mountains, local artisans,
00:09all Muslim, are hard at work, hand-crafting intricate ornaments that will adorn Christmas
00:15trees around the world.
00:16It is a joyous occasion that this festival is about to come.
00:22The ornaments are made from paper mache, in a process that is rooted in Persian traditions.
00:42Artisans soak and mold the paper, smooth out the shape, and then hand-paint intricate Kashmiri
00:48designs.
00:49It's a unique blend of traditions that has garnered admiration all over the world.
00:54We export the ornaments we make for Christmas to London, France, and other Western countries.
01:04But we had a problem with the war in Ukraine and Russia, and we lost 40% of our work.
01:16Despite the setbacks, the ornaments remain popular across the globe, and have become
01:21an important part of the artisans' livelihood.
01:44With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, the ornaments are carefully packed and shipped
01:49by the artisans, sending the Christmas spirit from the mountains of the Himalayas to new
01:54homes around the world.
01:56John Su and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.