Culture - Sports

Traditional Then singing festival to kick off in May

A festival of traditional then singing, featuring art troupes from 16 provinces and cities in the country, will be held in the mountainous province of Ha Giang on May 13-14.
Traditional Then singing festival to kick off in May ảnh 1Traditional Then singing festival will kick off in May (Photo vietnamtourism.gov.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) - A festival oftraditional then singing, featuring art troupes from 16 provinces andcities in the country, will be held in the mountainous province of Ha Giang onMay 13-14.

Then singing is a form of art combiningliterature, music and dance and has long been a religious and cultural practiceof Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in the northern mountainous region ofVietnam during special occasions, such as village festivals. This type of singing is always accompaniedby tinh (gourd lute) instrument.

This will be the sixth edition of the NationalFestival of Traditional Then Singing. The festival aims tohonour then singers and artistes as well as preserve and develop thepractice of then singing and tinh instrument in modern life.

The festival will provide an opportunity tointroduce and popularise unique art forms of the ethnic minorities in thenorthwest of the country to both domestic and international tourists as well asshowcase the tourism potential of the participating provinces, according to theorganisation board.

Many activities, including a photo exhibition withthe theme “Then-Tay, Nung, Thai, Vietnam Cultural Heritages”, will be held aspart of the festival.

Artisans and art troupes from the northern,central and southern provinces, such as Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Dak Lak and HCMCity, will perform different types of then singing.

Then is performed during significant events,such as prayer ceremonies for peace, good crops and good health, as well as tobring cheer and drive away sorrows.

Then is said to have originated in the late15th century during the rule of Mac Dynasty. Legend has it that in MacDynasty, there were two kings who had special love for music and singing. Theydeveloped a handmade gourd lute called dan tinh and established twosinging troupes to perform at the royal court. Ordinary people found itinteresting and started learning it, preserving this form of singing till date.

Last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism signed a dossier on then singing practice of the Tay, Nungand Thai ethnic groups of Vietnam for submission to UNESCO asking for thesinging form’s recognition as part of the intangible cultural heritage.-VNA 
VNA
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