Protecting and promoting the value of the intangible cultural heritage "Then practice"

"Then practice of the Tay, Nung, and Thai people in Vietnam" is recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Over the years, authorities at all levels and people of Lang Son province have joined hands to preserve, conserve and promote the value of Then heritage to become a common asset of humanity.

Special art form

In 2019, "Then practice of the Tay, Nung, Thai people in Vietnam" was officially recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. According to Dr. Hoang Van Pao, Chairman of the Cultural Heritage Association of Lang Son province, Then of the Tay and Nung people in Lang Son is an ancient cultural activity with a system of rituals, an opportunity for descendants to report to their ancestors and gods for blessing them with a smooth and good crop season. Therefore, Then means Thien (heaven), and Then singing is "songs of heaven". Like many other localities across the country, in Lang Son province today, "Then practice" exists in two main forms: Then ritual - Then co (serving the practice of beliefs) and Then moi (adapted and composed based on the ancient Then sound that has been staged). In which, Then ritual in Lang Son includes a number of types such as Then hotpot; Then praying; Then wishing for the season; Then praying for the harvest... Then is distributed in almost all districts and cities in the province, gradually forming and affirming typical Then regions such as Bac Son - Binh Gia; Van Quan - Chi Lang; Trang Dinh - Van Lang; Cao Loc - Lang Son city... Each region has its own characteristics of musical melodies and carries the identity and uniqueness of that region in Then performances. Lang Son Then today still preserves relatively complete melodies such as to may, kham hai (crossing the sea), sluoi lua (rowing a boat), pay tang (going on the road), chau dance... This is the factor that makes Lang Son Then diverse, rich and attractive compared to Then in other localities in the region. By the end of 2023, Lang Son province has 510 "Then practice" artisans, including 62 male Then artisans and 448 female Then artisans. In particular, the province has had 3 artisans holding the heritage of "Then Practice" awarded the title of People's Artisan by the President. Along with that, Lang Son has built more than 60 Then singing and Tinh lute clubs with about 1,500 members.

Over the past years, Lang Son province has taken positive steps to preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage of "Then practice".

Promoting the heritage value of "Then Practice"

In order to preserve Then heritage, in recent years, all levels and sectors of Lang Son province have had many solutions to contribute to preserving, promoting and spreading the value of Then in the community. According to Mr. Phan Van Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son province, immediately after the practice of Then was recognized by UNESCO, the Department developed a plan to preserve and promote the value of this representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, ensuring consistency with the regulations of the UNESCO Convention. Specifically, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son province has promoted the dissemination and promotion of the value of the heritage to the community. At the same time, organize activities to honor and reward artisans, establish clubs, open classes to teach folk songs, including Then singing... The Department has advised the People's Committee of Lang Son province to approve the Project "Preserving and promoting the values ​​of folk songs, folk dances, and folk music of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development in the period 2021 - 2030". Accordingly, from 2019 to present, on average each year, the Department has organized from 1 to 3 classes to teach Then singing and Tinh lute for people of all ages at the grassroots level. At the same time, support musical instruments and some performance costumes for people. In addition, the Department of Culture of Lang Son province also coordinates with the Provincial Folk Song Conservation Association to mobilize and encourage establishments with a large population of Tay and Nung ethnic groups to establish Then singing - Tinh lute clubs associated with teaching to the younger generation. In districts and cities, the Department of Culture also pays great attention to Then training for the younger generation. Every year, the Department of Culture coordinates with schools to invite artisans, including young artisans, to introduce the value of Then heritage in extracurricular activities. Recently, the People's Committee of Lang Son province has developed a Plan to implement the National Action Program to protect and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage "Then practice" in Lang Son province from now until 2030 and the following years. The purpose of the plan is to mobilize all resources of the whole society to participate in protecting, preserving and promoting Then values ​​according to the contents committed to UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the international convention on intangible cultural heritage in UNESCO's lists and the list of national intangible cultural heritage. In addition, the program also aims to preserve and pass on to future generations unique values, imbued with humanity, in order to gradually expand, spread, and develop Then cultural space in community life and cultural activities, popularize Then culture in schools; raise awareness and pride, self-awareness of the community, individuals, especially the young generation, about the meaning and responsibility in preserving and promoting Then values ​​in Lang Son province at present and in the future. The plan also aims to propose tasks and solutions to preserve and promote the value of "Then practice" on a broader, more complete, sustainable scale and become an internal force contributing to promoting the economic, social, tourism, and service development of the province. The program plan will include 6 main groups of contents, especially promoting research, collection, inventory, propaganda, education, dissemination, promotion, and introduction of Then; Training, fostering, developing human resources; promoting Then teaching activities in the community, schools and building models, experience spaces, displays, exhibitions, promotions, introductions, and Then performances associated with tourism development. To implement the plan, on average each year Lang Son province will invest and support new necessary equipment such as: Tinh lute, costumes, props and other related facilities for 3-5 clubs or traditional Then activity models in the whole province; Districts and cities invest and support new necessary equipment such as: Tinh lute, costumes, props and other related facilities for 1 - 2 clubs or traditional Then activity models in the management area... Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/bao-ve-va-phat-huy-gia-tri-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-thuc-hanh-then-20241221111325131.htm