Spiritual colors in folk performing arts

Spiritual imprint

Dai Bi Pagoda is an ancient temple built during the reign of Ly Nhan Tong (1072-1127). One of the special features of the Dai Bi Pagoda festival is the Chau Thanh puppet show (Oi Loi puppet show). The "Saint" here is Zen Master Tu Dao Hanh. According to legend, after the Zen Master passed away, the local people set up an altar for him in the pagoda. Every year, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of January, the Chau Thanh puppet show is solemnly held from 7pm to 1-2am the next morning, in a sacred space before the altar of the Three Jewels and the altar of the Holy Ancestors.

Artisan Nguyen Tien Dung (65 years old), Head of the Puppetry Association of Dai Bi Pagoda, said: Unlike other folk puppets, Chau Thanh puppetry is not for "performing for the people to see" but for the Saints to reside and witness. The most unique feature of Oi Loi puppetry is the "Twelve Saint Statues" including six large statues and six small statues that are hundreds of years old, rich in visual art. Each puppet used in the ritual is called a "Holy Statue" and is considered a sacred object of worship. Therefore, when performing, the elders are all dressed neatly, burn incense and make solemn offerings. Accompanying the Holy Statues is a percussion ensemble including: big drum, board drum, rice drum, cymbal, gong... but can perform 26 songs, 32 melodies in Nom, praising the Saints, praying for national peace and prosperity, and teaching morality. It is the blend of folk art and spiritual rituals that has created lasting vitality and special attraction for Chau Thanh puppetry for many centuries.

At Co Le Pagoda (Co Le Commune), the Chau Thanh puppetry ritual is associated with the merits of the Holy Ancestor Nguyen Minh Khong, a famous National Teacher under the Ly Dynasty. During the festival nights (from the 13th to the 16th of the ninth lunar month), in the main hall of the pagoda, the Chau Thanh puppetry ritual takes place solemnly. The puppet set consists of 9 Holy statues (1 statue of a young man, 8 statues of Saints) with faces expressing joy - anger - love - hate. When the drums and gongs resound, the celebrant offers incense to Buddha and reads a congratulatory text praising the merits of the Holy Ancestor. Next, the dancers lift the puppet statues, dance to the beat, creating Chinese characters with sacred meanings: "Long live the Holy Palace", " Peace in the world", "Phan". Each dance movement is a prayer for favorable weather, bountiful crops, and a prosperous people. For the people of Co Le, Chau Thanh puppetry is the soul of the festival, where the community finds connection with faith and with each other.

Unlike Chau Thanh puppetry, Minh Thai and Ninh Cuong communes still preserve the Son Quan mask dance art form. Currently, the Thai Cuong Son Quan Dance Club has nearly 40 members from many generations, always striving to maintain and teach the unique cultural features of their homeland. The actors wear ancient wooden masks, transforming into characters in folk and Buddhist stories, notably "Tang Monk goes to the West to get the scriptures". In particular, 30 wooden masks are nearly 200 years old, carved with exquisite details.

Son Quan mask dance has two performances: on the stage of communal houses and pagodas and in the procession. On stage, the performance is called "opening" and combines ancient martial arts and rhythmic dance movements. In the procession, the dance team follows the flags, drums, cymbals, and gongs; Ngo Khong leads the way, dancing to the beat of the drums to clear the way. This performance appears at the Duc Thanh Tran festival in Minh Thai commune (August 20th of the lunar calendar) and the Phuc Linh pagoda festival in Ninh Cuong commune (March 10th of the lunar calendar).

Like Chau Thanh puppetry, Son Quan mask dance conveys the philosophy of life: good always triumphs over evil, people strive for truth - goodness - beauty. From Chau Thanh puppetry to Son Quan mask dance, it can be seen that performing arts have become an inseparable part of religious life, a bridge connecting the community with the spiritual world . The unique blend of art and ritual creates lasting vitality, spreading traditional cultural values ​​in contemporary life.

Spread in the flow of national culture

Thanks to its unique values, the art of Chau Thanh puppetry has contributed to the inclusion of two major festivals in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage: Dai Bi Pagoda Festival (2020) and Co Le Pagoda Festival (2023). To achieve this, the local government and people have made efforts to preserve and pass on the art of Chau Thanh puppetry.

In Nam Truc commune, the Chau Thanh Puppetry Association of Dai Bi Pagoda currently has over 40 members from three villages: Van Chang, Giap Tu, Giap Ba, gathering senior artisans and their descendants. Artisan Nguyen Tien Dung, Head of the Puppetry Association, shared: “I often meet and record experiences from the elders in the area to systematize knowledge about Chau Thanh puppetry. In addition, I also ask people to translate songs from Han - Nom characters into Vietnamese so that young people can easily memorize the ancient lyrics…” Notably, because the original puppet statues worshiped in the pagoda are very sacred and are restricted from being taken out for practice, artist Nguyen Tien Dung has created a “replica” puppet head with the same weight for members to practice. Thanks to this methodical teaching method, the Dai Bi Pagoda Puppetry Association has been able to preserve traditional puppetry melodies to this day.

However, artisan Nguyen Tien Dung is still concerned that this traditional puppetry form is "performed very little and only at Dai Bi Pagoda", so it is still a "mystery" to the general public. Understanding that, from 2016 to now, at the invitation of the Management Board of Lang Pagoda relic ( Hanoi ), he and the Puppetry Association have brought the Chau Thanh puppetry performance to perform "for exchange" at the Lang Pagoda festival, thereby widely introducing the homeland's heritage to the general public. It can be said that the enthusiasm of "fire keepers" like artisan Nguyen Tien Dung has been helping Chau Thanh puppetry escape the scope of the village, spreading out in the flow of national culture.

At Co Le Pagoda, after many ups and downs, the art of Chau Thanh puppetry is facing the risk of fading away as there are fewer and fewer elderly artisans. Realizing this, the cultural sector and local authorities have stepped up the collection of documents, propaganda and created conditions for the community to join hands in preserving it. Comrade Vu Manh Cuong, Chairman of Co Le Commune People's Committee, emphasized: "The fact that Chau Thanh puppetry is an important element for the Co Le Pagoda festival to be included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage is a source of pride for local people and a driving force for the commune to continue to preserve and promote the value of this unique art form. The commune government has been encouraging and supporting elderly artisans to teach their skills to the younger generation."

With the dedication of artisans and the active participation of the government, wooden puppets and ancient masks continue to “sing” in the sacred space of the festival. The artistic and spiritual values ​​crystallized in Chau Thanh puppetry and Son Quan mask dance have been, are and will be famous in modern life, becoming the pride of local people and making an important contribution to the treasure of Vietnamese cultural heritage.