Let the Xoan song resonate forever

Nurturing the legacy of our ancestors

With its outstanding global values, on November 24, 2011, at the 6th Conference of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO held in Bali - Indonesia, the Xoan Singing - Phu Tho dossier of Vietnam was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection of humanity. On December 8, 2017, at the 12th Conference, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO officially removed Phu Tho Xoan Singing from the state of urgent protection and became a representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is the first and only case in the history of UNESCO. This event marked the initial success of Phu Tho province and the community that has made efforts and determination to fulfill its commitment to protect the Xoan Singing heritage in need of urgent protection, including the contributions of Xoan groups such as Xoan Thet group.

Artists of Xoan Thet guild perform Xoan singing

Xoan singing is currently present in 18 communes of the two provinces of Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc, of which 15 communes and wards belong to Viet Tri city, Phu Ninh, Lam Thao, Tam Nong and Doan Hung districts (Phu Tho province) and 3 communes belong to the 3 districts of Lap Thach, Song Lo and Vinh Tuong (Vinh Phuc province).

In Phu Tho province, there are currently 4 established Xoan wards operating in Viet Tri city, namely Xoan An Thai ward, Xoan Thet ward, Xoan Phu Duc ward and Xoan Kim Dai ward.

No one remembers when the Xoan Thet troupe was formed, but we only know that Xoan has been deeply rooted in the hearts of generations of Thet villagers for a long time... Through the ups and downs of history, there were times when it seemed like the Xoan singing no longer had any vitality, remaining only in the hearts of the actors and actresses who were deeply attached to Xoan like Mr. Dien, Mr. Man, Mr. Kha - those who still quietly gathered actors and actresses, practicing Xoan singing every night under the light of oil lamps to perform on ceremonies, village festivals, or organize singing trips when invited by sister villages. Those years, the Xoan Thet troupe was in a very difficult situation and the number of people who were attached to Xoan at that time was very small, sometimes the troupe had less than ten people, the expenses were often contributed by the performers themselves, when performing far away, there was no means of transportation, they had to walk for several days to get to the performance place... However, the generation of actors and actresses like Mr. Tieu, Mr. Sung, Mr. Phung, Mr. Hue, Mr. Phuc... were still passionate about singing and kept the Xoan flame burning. When peace had just come, life was still difficult, but overcoming all that, with their love for Xoan singing, the few remaining actors and actresses of the Xoan Thet troupe still had a burning desire to preserve and pass on the ancient Xoan folk songs to the younger generations and the people of Thet village. During the free time, the elders taught them to their children and grandchildren in their homes and clans, and from there the Xoan songs spread to families and generations of people in the village. The first generation of the Xoan Thet troupe were the fathers, mothers, and uncles of the current members of the Xoan troupe - the current boss of the Xoan Thet troupe, Meritorious Artist Bui Thi Kieu Nga said.

Xoan is not picky, so the number of people interested in, learning about and learning Xoan singing is increasing day by day. The Xoan Thet troupe at that time had about 25-26 members, the members of the troupe mainly worked as farmers, hard-working and difficult, but they still voluntarily participated in practice sessions held at the troupe leader's house in the evening, voluntarily contributed funds for the troupe's activities, so that Xoan singing performances could be more frequent and continuous.

During the period from 1998 when the Xoan singing club was established until 2006, the Xoan Thet guild was re-established on the basis of the three original Xoan guilds. The elders Nguyen Thi Sung, Nguyen Thi At, Dao Thi Phung, Nguyen Si Tieu, Nguyen Ngoc Bao... became the pillars of the club. With all their heart for Xoan without demanding any regime, they both performed and took on the responsibility of teaching and maintaining the activities of the Xoan club. Later, this generation of old artisans, due to their old age, were no longer able to teach, but they still participated as advisors for the guild. Xoan performances during this time are not only limited to holidays and village festivals, but are also performed in neighboring villages: An Thai, Kim Dai, Phu Duc, Hung Lo... participating in competitions, folk music performances, mass art performances... Besides, the teaching of Xoan is also very interested, the teaching subjects are wider from the elderly generation to the youth.

"In 2009-2010, when the State conducted the dossier on Xoan singing heritage, the elders in the ward, who were the holders of knowledge and skills of ancient Xoan singing and had many years of experience performing Xoan singing, enthusiastically helped, provided knowledge about Xoan singing, Xoan versions, re-performed ancient Xoan melodies and encouraged members to actively participate in completing the dossier with Xoan singing performances at communal houses and temples, participated in making films in other localities and then participated in performing at seminars on Xoan singing... contributing significantly to the work of preserving and restoring Phu Tho Xoan singing melodies with the hope that Xoan singing will reach a large number of people" - Meritorious Artist Bui Thi Kieu Nga shared.

Dao Xoan Le Thi Hoa and the boss of the Xoan Thet guild Bui Thi Kieu Nga (from left to right)

Spreading heritage values

Continuing the love of the heritage passed down from their ancestors, today, the Xoan Thet troupe has about 80 members, of whom 20 have been awarded the title of artisan by Phu Tho province. Every week, the artisans spend two evenings training their children. The Xoan Thet troupe currently has 30 successors under the age of 18 who are still learning to continue and pass on the xoan singing heritage of their ancestors. In addition to the spring festival, the troupe also performs cultural exchanges in Bac Ninh, Cao Bang, Hanoi...; performing for groups of visitors to the Hung Temple festival who stop by to enjoy folk culture.

Members of the Xoan troupe are mainly farmers, workers, taxi drivers, hairdressers, spa workers... Because of their passion and desire to preserve traditional art, they take advantage of their time to join the singing troupe.

Just a few minutes before the performance, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, 39 years old, drove a taxi and parked it in front of the communal house yard after a trip. Wearing a traditional long dress and turban, Mr. Tuan instantly took on the role of a Xoan actor, playing the drums and leading the singers. Mr. Tuan shared that because he loves Xoan singing, loves the unique beauty of the heritage left by his ancestors, every time the troupe has a performance schedule, he arranges to participate. According to Mr. Tuan, the love for Xoan singing has been in his blood since he was a child, when he followed his father and uncle to join the Xoan Thet troupe, listening to the songs, drum beats, watching the dances, gradually, he understood more about the beauty, the goodness, the specialness of Xoan singing.

Xoan Actor Nguyen Van Tuan

Xoan singer Le Thi Hoa, 44 years old, shared: "I have been immersed in Xoan singing since I was a child. In 2013, when the commune started opening community classes, I registered to study. In mid-2016, I went to work abroad but the songs still followed me. When I worked in Japan, I still missed Xoan singing, sometimes I opened YouTube to learn or watch programs in my hometown". And at the end of 2022, just three days after returning home, Xoan singer Le Thi Hoa returned to activities with the Xoan troupe.

Not only Hoa, her daughter - Le Thi Thao - is also following her mother to sing. Thao was born in 2006, and her mother took her to rehearsals when she was three or four years old. According to Hoa, she has been listening to and memorizing melodies since she was young. When she comes home, sometimes Hoa sings the wrong lyrics, and her daughter reminds her mother to correct them.

Meritorious Artist Le Thi Nhan, 67 years old, said that in her family, her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren all know how to sing. The children are not yet literate, but when they see their grandmothers and mothers perform, they can recite the lyrics and dance along. Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Nga has been singing xoan since she was nine years old, and her mother is also a Meritorious Artist in Phu Duc Ward. When she got married and moved to Thet village, she continued to pursue the profession and passed it on to her children and grandchildren.

The main concern of the Xoan guild leader Bui Thi Kieu Nga is the desire to have more income for her brothers in the guild so that they can continue their passion for preserving the artistic heritage of their ancestors. The Xoan Thet guild leader said: "For the Xoan Thet guild, every time there is an exchange performance, almost all members spend their own effort and time to participate. When performing for tourists, they are compensated a few hundred, but when divided among members, they only get a little bit as encouragement. I am concerned and wish to have funds for the Xoan guilds to operate. For the People's Artists and Meritorious Artists who have been awarded the title, I hope that the locality will have a monthly support policy to encourage and motivate the artisans to keep the fire burning, and pass on the fire burning to the younger generation"./.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/de-cau-xoan-con-vang-mai-20240413235027779.htm