The folk singing of the San Diu ethnic group in the northern provinceof Tuyen Quang is fading with time, worry local elders.
The folk lyric singing, known as Soong Co, is rarely heard now, even inNinh Lai commune, Son Duong district, where the form was believed tohave originated. Over 70 percent of the population of Ninh Lai communeare of the San Diu group but few young people can now sing the songs.
"I even don't know how to speak the San Diu language, let alone sing the traditional songs," say some teenagers in the area.
Do Van Huong, 66, is one of the rare remaining locals who still can,and he recalls the memories of his youth and falling in love with hiswife, Hoang Thi Suu, during nights of singing Soong Co.
"Back then, men who couldn't sing Soong Co will not have been able tofind a wife," said Huong. "In springs, when farmers weren't so busy inthe fields working, young people always joined singing festivals."
Teams of singers travelled around, stopping at every village and recruiting more members at each stop, he said.
"The lyrics are simple spoken language, yet they contain melodiesinside," said Le Thi Long, 61, from Ninh Lai. "People loved to singSoong Co since, through the songs, they could speak out their feelingsand hopes."
While young people sang the songs to findlovers, old people used them to teach the youth about the merits of theancestors and good behaviour, Long said.
According toNguyen Viet Thanh, director of the provincial Department of Culture,Sports and Tourism, teens from local ethnic groups no longer weartraditional clothes, speak ethnic languages, or have even grown up inhomes of traditional design.
The customs of other ethnicgroups in the province were also fading, Thanh said, including the LongTong (Field Work) Festival of the Tay ethnic group, the Cap Sac (comingof age) ceremony and Tet Nhay (New Year's Dance) of the Dao group, theNhay Lua (Fire Dance) of the Pa Then group, and the Sinh Ca songs of theCao Lan group.
The province has begun a project topreserve these cultural values, with a budget of up to 3.8 billion VND(1.9 million USD). The project includes research on the cultural valuesof seven ethnic groups in 45 villages in the districts of Na Hang, SonDuong, Chiem Hoa, Yen Son and Ham Yen.
From that research,the most endangered heritage will be prioritised for preservationefforts, with some local festivals to be reconstituted in conjunctionwith economic and tourism development efforts./.
The folk lyric singing, known as Soong Co, is rarely heard now, even inNinh Lai commune, Son Duong district, where the form was believed tohave originated. Over 70 percent of the population of Ninh Lai communeare of the San Diu group but few young people can now sing the songs.
"I even don't know how to speak the San Diu language, let alone sing the traditional songs," say some teenagers in the area.
Do Van Huong, 66, is one of the rare remaining locals who still can,and he recalls the memories of his youth and falling in love with hiswife, Hoang Thi Suu, during nights of singing Soong Co.
"Back then, men who couldn't sing Soong Co will not have been able tofind a wife," said Huong. "In springs, when farmers weren't so busy inthe fields working, young people always joined singing festivals."
Teams of singers travelled around, stopping at every village and recruiting more members at each stop, he said.
"The lyrics are simple spoken language, yet they contain melodiesinside," said Le Thi Long, 61, from Ninh Lai. "People loved to singSoong Co since, through the songs, they could speak out their feelingsand hopes."
While young people sang the songs to findlovers, old people used them to teach the youth about the merits of theancestors and good behaviour, Long said.
According toNguyen Viet Thanh, director of the provincial Department of Culture,Sports and Tourism, teens from local ethnic groups no longer weartraditional clothes, speak ethnic languages, or have even grown up inhomes of traditional design.
The customs of other ethnicgroups in the province were also fading, Thanh said, including the LongTong (Field Work) Festival of the Tay ethnic group, the Cap Sac (comingof age) ceremony and Tet Nhay (New Year's Dance) of the Dao group, theNhay Lua (Fire Dance) of the Pa Then group, and the Sinh Ca songs of theCao Lan group.
The province has begun a project topreserve these cultural values, with a budget of up to 3.8 billion VND(1.9 million USD). The project includes research on the cultural valuesof seven ethnic groups in 45 villages in the districts of Na Hang, SonDuong, Chiem Hoa, Yen Son and Ham Yen.
From that research,the most endangered heritage will be prioritised for preservationefforts, with some local festivals to be reconstituted in conjunctionwith economic and tourism development efforts./.
