Reviving folk games in modern life

Rice cooking contest using clay pots at Le Van Huu Temple Festival in Thieu Trung commune.

Coming to Thieu Trung commune on the occasion of Le Van Huu Temple Festival (22nd - 24th of the third lunar month), everyone can feel the jubilant atmosphere of the festival because of the diversity of cultural and artistic activities, sports competitions and traditional folk games and performances. The festival is an occasion to commemorate and pay tribute to the great contributions of historian Le Van Huu - who wrote the first national history of our country, and also an opportunity for people and tourists to immerse themselves in a unique cultural space, where folk games are preserved and promoted through many generations. In particular, the tug of war and the clay pot rice cooking competition are two special activities, always attracting the enthusiastic participation of teams from villages in the commune.

The tug of war in the festival is not simply a physical competition, but according to Ms. Tran Thi Hien, a civil servant of the Department of Culture and Society of Thieu Trung commune, this game has the meaning of promoting health training, building team spirit and solidarity in the community, so it attracts a lot of people to participate and cheer. "We organize separate men's and women's tug of war, each team selects healthy members to compete. Each time we pull, everyone seems to temporarily put aside all the worries of life and cheer. With a simple format, no extra costs, the game is a bond in the community, thereby strengthening solidarity among the people, joining hands to build a rich and civilized homeland" - Ms. Hien shared.

Meanwhile, the rice cooking competition is a part of the competition that demonstrates the ingenuity, carefulness and experience of the people. Each team consists of 3 people, who have to light a fire with dry wood, move and cook rice in a traditional clay pot, within 20 minutes. From washing rice, lighting the stove to keeping the fire steady, all demonstrate the sophistication of the people in the rural areas of Thanh Hoa. The scoring for each team is not only based on the evenly cooked and delicious rice but also on the presentation. This competition always brings excitement and excitement to the teams and the cheering audience. Through the folk games at the Le Van Huu Temple Festival, it partly shows the revival of traditional skills that seem to have been lost in the increasingly modern social life.

Along with the communes in the plains, in the mountainous areas in the West of the province such as: Thuong Xuan, Xuan Du, Nam Xuan, Quan Son, Linh Son, Ngoc Lac, Thach Lap... folk games are an indispensable part of Tet and annual traditional festivals. Among them, throwing con, swinging and hitting mat are typical activities, imbued with the cultural identity of the Thai and Muong ethnic groups.

In Thuong Xuan commune, the con throwing game often takes place in a large field or on the festival grounds, where a con pole about 8m high is set up, with a circle about 50cm in diameter tied on top. Players are usually young men and women who take turns throwing the con (sewn from fabric, embroidered with patterns, stuffed with rice or sand) through the circle. The game expresses the desire for a bountiful harvest, fertility, and a pair of boys and girls... and is also a way for young people to interact and make friends. Mr. Vi Van Hieu, a resident of Ma village, said: "Nowadays, there are many new forms of entertainment, but the con throwing game is still an indispensable part of the festivals of the Thai people in Ma village. We feel very happy that the game not only attracts local people, but also has the participation of many tourists from all over the world when coming here during the festival."

For the Muong people in the communes of Xuan Du, Thach Quang, Thanh Vinh, Cam Tu... the game of "bat mam" is loved by many people. This is a folk game that often takes place during Tet, festivals or free time. The reason the game is called "bat mam" is because since ancient times, the Muong people have used "bat mam" fruit to play. The "bat mam" fruit is flat and round, smooth on both sides, brown in color, and moderately heavy. The "bat mam" tree grows naturally in the forest. In the fall, when the "bat mam" fruit is ripe, people often pick it up, dry it, and save it for use on festivals, Tet, and happy days of the village. Depending on the place, the way to play "bat mam" also has many different steps, including basic steps such as: Throwing, shooting above, shooting below, shooting sitting, running the table, kicking... For the Muong people, this is both a game and a unique sport, requiring dexterity and agility.

Up to now, many folk games are still loved and preserved by the community, but their maintenance in some localities also faces many obstacles. Among them, the organization space is narrowed due to urban planning or changes in lifestyle, the teaching staff is thin, the budget for organizing activities is limited... are factors that make many games appear only sparingly, instead of becoming regular cultural activities. In some urban communes and wards of the province, folk games are gradually disappearing, the young people mainly participate in modern entertainment games.

However, the story in Thieu Trung commune or some mountainous areas in the western part of the province shows that as long as the community still wants to preserve traditional cultural values and there are passionate people, folk games still have a "living space" and their own vitality. And, reviving folk games from festivals is one of the practical solutions to connect the cultural ties between generations, while creating a rich and unique community cultural space.

Article and photos: Hoai Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hoi-sinh-tro-choi-dan-gian-nbsp-trong-cuoc-song-hien-dai-257401.htm