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For a long time, the Then
songs of the Tay ethnic
people living in Muong Bo
and Ban Ho communes of Sapa
town (Lao Cai) have become
the "soul" of life for those
born and raised here. The
exploration, creation,
preservation and teaching of
the Then dance of the Tay
people have always been
given special attention by
the people and authorities
at all levels in Sa Pa town
in the journey of preserving
and promoting the unique
traditional values of the
ethnic groups to develop the
socio-economy and tourism
services in Sa Pa town.
Tours to Sapa
The training course on
teaching the art of Then Tay
singing in Muong Bo and Ban
Ho communes is of interest
to Sa Pa town and is
organized annually with the
participation of artisans,
students who are Tay ethnic
people living in the area
and especially teenagers and
children who come to learn
and be taught Tay ethnic
culture.
At the training courses,
outstanding artists and many
participating students
talked together about the
meaning of traditional Then
songs, and shared about
preserving the nation's fine
traditions through Then
songs.
The family of artisan Lu Van
Vien living in Muong Bo 2
village, Muong Bo commune
has preserved and passed
down to their descendants,
along with two art troupes
of Muong Bo commune
consisting of 30 members,
the traditional Then and xoe
singing melodies of the Tay
ethnic group living in Muong
Bo commune, Sapa.
Musical instruments such as
drums, Dan Tinh, bells...
are preserved, cherished and
displayed in the most solemn
places by the artisans'
families. In the spacious
yard, Then singing and Xoe
dance are performed, along
with the desire to preserve
and develop the national
cultural values left by our
ancestors. Artisan Lu Van
Vien, Muong Bo 2 village,
Muong Bo commune said: "We
have been attached to Then
singing since we were very
young. Then singing is the
life of every Tay ethnic
person and I want to teach
it to my children so that
the good traditions of my
people will not be lost."
Then singing and Xoe dancing
are indispensable cultural
features in the festivals of
the Tay ethnic people living
in Muong Bo and Ban Ho
communes of Sapa. In
addition to the spiritual
element of praying for good
harvests and blessings, Then
singing is also for
entertainment, expressing
feelings, expressing love,
praising the homeland and
village, and labor
production. In the life of
the Tay people, Then singing
often appears in important
events such as: praying for
peace, praying for good
harvests... Then singers on
holidays and Tet represent
the community to communicate
with the gods, praying for
good harvests, a prosperous
and happy life.
With the changing life like
today, in addition to the
spiritual element, Then
singing and Xoe dancing are
also staged, brought into
activities serving political
events, tourism, serving the
people, becoming a mass art
movement of Muong Bo
commune, Ban Ho commune. The
content of Then songs is
given new lyrics by artisans
to praise the life of labor
and production, building new
rural areas, praise the
changes of the homeland and
the country. Generations of
Tay people have been taught
Then singing by their
grandmothers and mothers,
and from there continue to
guide and pass it on to
their children and
grandchildren.
With easy-to-remember and
emotional lyrics, the Tay
ethnic children have
naturally absorbed them,
making them more proud and
loving of their traditional
culture through Then songs
imbued with love for their
homeland.
Dao Khanh Hung, 10 years old
in, Muong Bo 1 village said:
“Since I was little, I have
heard my grandparents and
parents teach me about Then
singing of the Tay ethnic
group, which is often
performed in festivals with
very beautiful lyrics. My
friends and I also want to
learn Then singing, play
DanTinh and the teachers at
school always teach us to
preserve traditional
culture”.
In recent times, the
training courses on Then Tay
singing art in Muong Bo and
Ban Ho communes of Sapa have
aimed to effectively
implement Project 06
"Preserving and promoting
the fine traditional
cultural values of ethnic
minorities associated with
tourism development" under
the National Target Program
on socio-economic
development of ethnic
minority and mountainous
areas. The training course
aims to foster and provide
additional knowledge and
skills to preserve cultural
heritages, honor and inherit
traditional cultural values;
preserve and maintain the
values of intangible
cultural heritages of the
nation, linking the task of
economic development with
the cultural development of
the town.
In order to preserve and
teach Then Tay singing - an
intangible cultural heritage
recognized by UNESCO in
Sapa, Ms. Hoang Thi Vuong,
Head of the Department of
Culture and Information of
Sapa town said: "Through the
training course, we have
contributed to restoring,
preserving and promoting the
traditional cultural values
of the Tay ethnic group, in
which the art of Then Tay
singing plays an extremely
important role in the
spiritual life of the Tay
ethnic group living in
Sapa".
Then singing and Xoe dancing
are the pride and timeless
heritage of the Tay ethnic
community in Muong Bo
commune. Listening to Then
singing and xoe dancing
helps us feel the national
soul, see the image of our
homeland, return to our
birthplace and upbringing,
and gain more strength to
rise up in life.
Source:
https://privatesapatours.com/news/the-art-of-then-singing-of-the-tay-ethnic-group-in-sapa.php |
