National festival reflects diversity of Then singing art
The sixth national festival of the art of Then singing and Tinh gourd lute of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups officially opened in Ha Giang city, the northernmost province of Ha Giang, on May 13.
A performance of Then singing with Tinh gourd lute at the festival (Photo: VNA)
Ha Giang (VNA) – The sixth national festival of theart of Then singing and Tinh gourd lute of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groupsofficially opened in Ha Giang city, the northernmost province of Ha Giang, onMay 13.
After the opening ceremony, arts troupes from 14provinces participating in the festival performed Then singing accompanied byTinh lute. These performances were deeply imbued with traditional culturalidentities of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnics.
The festival from May 12 to 14 gathers more than500 artisans from the 14 provinces nationwide. It is considered a rendezvous ofdiverse Then melodies, dances and music from different ethnic regions.
Activities of the event include an exhibition ofproducts from the 14 participating provinces, a display of the Then culture ofthe Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups, Then singing performances, there-enactment of the traditional Then rituals and the art of Then singing in HaGiang, and tours of local imposing landscapes.
Nguyen Thi Hai Nhung, Director of the Departmentof Ethnic Culture under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said theThen of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnics is a special genre of folk spiritual culturecreated in and connected with people’s daily life, becoming an indispensablepart in the spiritual life of the ethnic groups.
Each Then and Tinh melody and dance reflect theaspirations of Tay, Nung and Thai people, and they are precious culturalheritage contributing to the diverse culture of Vietnam, she added.
According to researchers, the word “Then”originates from “Thien”, which means sky or heaven. Therefore, Then singing isregarded as a tune of the Gods.
The most important figures in a Then singing performanceare “Ong Then” and “Ba Then” who can sing, dance and play a musical instrumentat the same time during rituals while presenting offerings to the Gods, helpingthe ethnics ask for good health, bumper crops, happiness and longevity.
In 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism submitted a dossier to UNESCO to seek the recognition of the practiceof Then as part of world intangible cultural heritage.-VNA
Quang Ninh has completed its preparation of six Then songs to join the 6th national Then singing festival, slated for May 12 – 14 in Ha Giang and featuring art troupes from 16 provinces and cities.
A scientific seminar discussing ways to preserve folk music of ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous region took place in the province of Dien Bien on May 10.
Those who have visited Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic people in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam are often astounded by traditional Then singing, which is accompanied by a handmade gourd lute called “Dan tinh” or “Tinh Tau”.
“Then” singing is an indispensable practice in the cultural and religious life of Tay and Nung ethnic minority communities in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, especially Dinh Hoa region.
Lang Son encouraged the establishment of local Then singing clubs to promote the development of this genre of traditional singing – a typical culture of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic people in the northern mountainous region.
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A performance of Then singing with Tinh gourd lute at the festival (Photo: VNA) 
