Responsibility after honor

Folk art performance "Lantern dance and ancient Cheo singing" in Thieu Quang commune.

From a type of folk performance that had been forgotten and was at risk of being lost, now Dong Anh folk songs and dances (also known as Vien Khe five-piece) in Dong Son ward have become a source of pride not only for the people of Vien Khe residential group in particular but also for Thanh Hoa province in general when recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage.

To learn more about Dong Anh folk songs and dances, we visited the house of the distinguished artist Le Ba Tuat in Vien Khe residential group. Talking to us, Mr. Tuat said: Dong Anh folk songs and dances are a type of folk performance that truly reflects the working life, daily activities, and spiritual and emotional life of agricultural residents in the Ma River Delta. In the past, Dong Anh folk songs and dances were performed regularly and were closely associated with the Nghe Sam Festival. However, through many changes of time and the ups and downs of history, Nghe Sam no longer exists, so Dong Anh folk songs and dances are no longer performed at festivals like before. Therefore, Dong Anh folk songs and dances have gradually faded away over time. To preserve the memory of Dong Anh folk songs and dances, some people who understand this heritage have had to record and describe them in notebooks so as not to forget.

Around 2000, with the help of the Vietnam National Institute of Music, the People's Committee of the old Dong Son district carried out a project to collect, research, and restore Dong Anh folk songs and dances. Fortunately, at that time, some knowledgeable people who still remembered the performances, such as Mr. Nguyen Sy Lich and his wife, Mrs. Le Thi Nghi; Mrs. Nguyen Thi Coc... actively coordinated with units and localities to collect, research, and restore the system of performances.

Dong Anh folk songs and dances are recognized as national intangible cultural heritage, not only arousing the pride of the local community, but also helping cultural heritage to have the opportunity to be better cared for and protected, and raising awareness of social classes about protecting and promoting cultural heritage.

Therefore, according to Mr. Tuat, in order for Dong Anh folk songs and dances to spread more and more in the community, our class of artisans constantly strives to preserve, practice, teach and promote the heritage in life. Over the years, Dong Anh folk songs and dances have been performed at many major events both inside and outside the province. The artisans also coordinate with local schools to organize teaching of knowledge and practical skills of some folk performances in the Dong Anh folk song and dance system for teachers and students. Every year, we organize 1 to 2 skit competitions for children, based on folk stories.

Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Dong Son Ward, Hoang Thi Huyen, said: "Dong Anh folk songs and folk dances, after being honored as national intangible cultural heritages, have affirmed the value of heritage in life, and at the same time contributed to the formation of cultural and tourism products from heritage, promoting local economic development. Therefore, we have implemented many synchronous measures to promote the value of heritage such as caring for and nurturing artisans and training the next generation of artisans, creating conditions for artisans to teach and spread heritage in the community, actively restoring cultural spaces to practice heritage. In addition, in the process of promoting the value of cultural heritage, some performances that were previously only practiced in rituals have been staged into performances in competitions, festivals, and performances, contributing to creating vitality for folk songs and meeting the needs of the contemporary public."

After being recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2023, the folk performing art of "Lantern dancing and Cheo singing" in Nhan Cao village, Thieu Quang commune has been increasingly spread and promoted its value in life. Artisan Nguyen Thi Thuy - who is closely associated with "Lantern dancing and Cheo singing" shared: "This is a very unique art form and is performed in the Ngu Vong Phuong festival. In which, there are 3 singing and dancing performances of Cheo singing and 5 singing and dancing performances of lantern dancing and lettering. This folk art form is imbued with the color of the river beliefs of the Nhan Cao village community, offering it to the gods and ancestors of the profession".

According to Ms. Thuy, after the heritage was honored, the artisans and people of Nhan Cao village always preserve, conserve and promote the value of the heritage with enthusiasm, affection, responsibility and with all pride. At the same time, they constantly make efforts to promote and introduce the heritage to a large number of people across the country through participating in competitions and performances. In addition, the teaching of the young generation is also focused on.

Up to now, not only folk songs, folk dances of Dong Anh or folk performing arts of "Dance with lanterns and singing Cheo with ancient brushes", but also in the province, there have been many heritages honored as national intangible cultural heritages such as Xuan Pha play, Tro Chieng festival, Kin Chieng Booc May festival, Cau Ngu festival, Doc Cuoc temple festival... It must be affirmed that, in recent times, all levels, sectors and localities in the province have made continuous efforts to implement many synchronous solutions to promote the value of heritage after being honored such as actively protecting, teaching, promoting and developing cultural tourism. Focus on investing in heritage spaces, bringing heritage into life, connecting heritage and tourism. There are policies to treat and honor folk cultural artisans - those who "keep the fire" and "pass on the fire", deciding the existence of cultural heritage in life. However, reality shows that the work of preserving and promoting national intangible cultural heritages still faces many limitations and challenges, especially in the context of strong technological development. Therefore, it requires more cooperation from the community, government and related organizations to preserve and promote the heritage so that it shines more and more in the community.

Article and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/trach-nhiem-sau-vinh-danh-257715.htm