Preserving the spirit of Then

Then artist Nguyen Van Chu at the ceremony to receive UNESCO's Certificate accrediting Practices of Then by Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups in Vietnam as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, on September 3 at Tuyen Quang. (Photo: Vinh Ha)

Then artist Nguyen Van Chu, from the Tay ethnic group (Phuong Do commune, Ha Giang city, Ha Giang province) played the Dan Tinh from the bottom of his heart when asked by a reporter about his feelings at the ceremony to receive UNESCO's Certificate accrediting Practices of Then by Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups in Vietnam as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity on September 3 in Tuyen Quang city, Tuyen Quang province.

Falling in love with Then

Phuong Do commune currently has 5 ethnic groups living together, of which the majority are Tay people (more than 75%). Villages with a large concentration of Tay people such as Ha Thanh and Thai are recognized as Community-based Cultural Tourism Villages. The villagers have preserved many traditional cultural values, making them an advantage for tourism development, notably Then singing, Dan Tinh, Long Tong festival, Coi singing, Lau Then (the ceremony of ascending to heaven)...

Talking about the "specialties" of his hometown, Nguyen Van Chu's voice becomes very lively, especially when mentioning the specialties that he has been passionate about for nearly 5 decades. Then singing is an "indispensable part" in the life, culture, beliefs and spirituality of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in the North and is also an indispensable part of Nguyen Van Chu's life. Those who have followed this career always have one thing in mind: "live with Then, follow Then to heaven".

According to the Tay people, Then means "Heaven". Then singing is a "melody from fairies", carrying the requests and wishes of people sent to Then for good luck and a good life. Then singing of the Tay people reflects stories from life, from the Muong village, to love stories, funerals, weddings…

People who sing Then during festivals represent the community to communicate with the gods, pray for good crops, a prosperous and happy life. When performing the ritual, Then singers cannot perform without tools such as zither, fan, yin-yang card, sword... Dan Tinh is considered a musical instrument carrying the "soul" of the nation, a bridge between people and the spiritual world, both a guide and an accompaniment, but also acts as a second voice along with the artist's voice…

For Nguyen Van Chu, perhaps his love for Then is fate. Despite 69 years of age, his time with Then is approximately 50 years, diligently collecting and preserving ancient Then dances. Now he still regularly performs Then rituals, not only in Ha Giang province but many provinces and cities across the country. In addition, he also actively participates in Then performances at Then and Dan Tinh festivals organized by the locality and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Then lovers must remember the excerpt from the "Lau Then Bjooc ma" ceremony performed by Then artist Nguyen Van Chu at the 6th National Festival of Then Singing - Dan Tinh of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in Vietnam at Ha Giang in May 2018.

The ritual expresses sincerity to the heaven, earth, and gods to pray for a new year of good luck, good crops, and people's well-being and happiness. He explained, when holding Lau Then, Then teachers often choose Bjooc ma flowers that grow on the banks of the stream with a bright yellow color, sweet and pure aroma to offer to the Heavenly Court…

Then artist Nguyen Van Chu performing excerpts from the "Lau Then Bjooc ma" ritual at the 6th National Festival of Then Singing - Dan Tinh of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in Ha Giang in May 2018. (Photo: VNA)

Passing on the tradition to the youth

As much as he is fascinated with Then, Nguyen Van Chu is also worried about Then. The biggest concern is how to make Then, especially ancient Then, not become forgotten over time. Like many other folk art forms, which are facing the risk of being lost, the young generation pays little attention to cultural identity and "chases commerce too much" while the old artists are slowly disappearing…

Deeply aware of that, over the years, Nguyen Van Chu has opened classes to teach Then singing, played the Dan Tinh at his own house, and campaigned for the establishment of Then singing - Dan Tinh clubs in each village, expanding Lau Then Bjooc Ma to fairs... Such models and practices have become bridges to bring Then closer to the community, contributing to preserving and restoring traditional cultural values, showing community solidarity.

Nguyen Van Chu's efforts to inspire the young, his relatives and folk artists has brought back certain success. He is glad that more and more people are paying attention to Then, both young and old. The classes have become more crowded, Then rituals have attracted more viewers…

However, he still wishes for Then to receive more attention from the Government and the industry to create a stable source of funding for the teaching and preservation of cultural heritages, and further expand the participation to the public, especially the youth. The near-seventy-year-old artist said that when preserving culture, if you only follow the trends, it is very difficult to be sustainable.

A Then performance at the ceremony to receive UNESCO's Certificate accrediting Practices of Then by Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups in Vietnam as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity on September 3. (Photo: Vinh Ha)

Then artist Nguyen Van Chu was very excited when UNESCO accredited Practices of Then by Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups in Vietnam as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. After many years with Then and playing the Dan Tinh, Then singing and the Dan Tinh require proper and more methodical investment.

It can be said that UNESCO honoring Then heritage once again affirms the value of Vietnam's rich cultural identity. This is the pride of not only the Tay, Nung, and Thai people, but also all Vietnamese people, contributing to the rich and colourful Vietnamese culture. And Then artisans like Nguyen Van Chu have more motivation to continue dedicating, teaching, contributing to the preservation and promotion of good traditional cultural values…

TIN LIÊN QUAN
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	The Then Ceremony and Thanh Tuyen Festival 2022 in Tuyen Quang province
	Practices of Then receive UNESCO certificate for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
	Tuyen Quang province: Positive changes in ethnic minority habitat
	Preserving and promoting the cultural identity of Mong ethnic minority group