The art of Cheo and the traditional boat racing festival of An Chau (Son Dong) are two intangible cultural heritages with unique historical and cultural values. Bac Giang ancient Cheo is one of the "four chieng" famous in the history of Vietnamese Cheo art. In the province, famous traditional Cheo regions are in Yen Dung, Tan Yen, Viet Yen... Cheo art combines elements of folk songs, folk dances, folk music, performances, and Tuong, becoming a typical culture in the North. In the Cheo melodies in Bac Giang, materials from Quan Ho are also taken or combined with Then songs to create a unique quality that cannot be found anywhere else.
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Cheo singing teaching class for grassroots art talents organized by Tan Yen District Culture - Information and Sports Center in coordination with Ngoc Thien Commune in 2024. |
During the resistance war against the US, the Cheo troupes and villages in Bac Giang developed very well, operating vigorously in many places, encouraging and promoting the fighting spirit of the nation against foreign invaders. Typical examples include famous Cheo troupes and villages such as Hoang Mai (Viet Yen), Dong Quan (Bac Giang City), Tu Mai (Yen Dung), Bac Ly (Hiep Hoa)... These Cheo troupes were mostly established by the people themselves, and the people both worked in production and participated in the Cheo troupe.
There was also a time when the art of Cheo in the province operated in a limited and intermittent manner. Later, thanks to the attention and support of the Party Committee, the government, and functional agencies, traditional Cheo in villages and communes was gradually restored and developed. In addition to organizing teaching for grassroots art nuclei, functional units of the province and localities also taught Cheo in schools; organized performances and festivals of amateur Cheo clubs attracting hundreds of actors and musicians to participate.
Cheo art in Bac Giang develops in two forms: professional Cheo troupes at the provincial level and grassroots Cheo teams. The art of mass Cheo is widely practiced in villages, hamlets, wards, and communes in 8 districts, towns, and cities. According to preliminary statistics, there are currently about 40 Cheo clubs and hundreds of cultural and artistic clubs related to Cheo singing in the province.
For the province's professional Cheo troupe, after more than half a century of existence and development, Bac Giang Cheo Theatre has actively restored ancient Cheo melodies and staged many new Cheo plays to serve the people. Every year, the unit participates in national professional Cheo art competitions, performances, and festivals with excellent results.
The traditional An Chau rowing festival takes place in An Chau town (Son Dong), the festival center is the communal house, Che pagoda, Chai temple and Luc Nam river area. According to folklore, the rowing festival on An Chau river dates back to the 15th century, associated with the name of General Vi Duc Thang of the Later Le dynasty. He was the ancestor of the Vi family, followed King Le Thai To in the Lam Son uprising, was awarded the title of founding hero and was assigned to guard the An Chau valley.
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Boat racing on An Chau River at the rowing festival. Photo: Xuan Thoa |
Every year, the people of An Chau town organize a rowing festival on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of April (lunar calendar) to reenact the training of marines in the mountainous region initiated by General Vi Duc Thang to fight against foreign invaders from the North. The festival features many unique activities. After the ceremony presided over by the elders to thank heaven and earth, those who have contributed to building the country and protecting the villagers, there is a boat procession, launching ceremony, and a rowing competition that is exciting and meaningful.
Each rowing boat has 10 athletes who are healthy young men selected from residential groups in the town competing on the An Chau River. On both sides of the river, the national flag, festival flags, colorful banners and slogans, along with the colors of the boats and competition costumes, blend with the bustling sounds of drums, wooden fish, and cheers to create a vivid picture, imbued with the colors of the traditional national festival.
The An Chau boat racing festival was interrupted during the resistance war against the French colonialists and the Americans. Since 2000, the festival has been restored and has been maintained annually to pray for a bountiful harvest, a prosperous and happy life, and to commemorate the contributions of national heroes who have contributed to the cause of building and defending the homeland. For many years, the festival has always been preserved and organized by the community according to traditional rituals, preserving and promoting its unique values to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people and visitors from all over the world.
The inclusion of the folk performing art of Bac Giang province's Cheo and the traditional An Chau rowing festival in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage creates conditions for the cultural sector and localities to strengthen the implementation of solutions to preserve and promote traditional historical, cultural and artistic values in the new era.
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