Singing Chau Van (also known as singing Van, singing Bong) is a form of ritual music associated with the ritual of Hau Dong in the practice of Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people. This is also one of the important elements that create the appeal and uniqueness, contributing to making the Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
The late Professor Ngo Duc Thinh - who devoted much effort and enthusiasm to reviving the quintessence of Mother Goddess religion, and author of many works and books on Mother Goddess religion, once commented: “The Chau Van songs were composed and recorded in Nom, Han or Quoc Ngu scripts. In essence, these are hymns, sung by musicians during the ceremonies to serve the Mother Goddesses, along with music, dance and other rituals, creating a sacred atmosphere and integration between humans and the divine world. In addition to the ritual function, the Chau Van songs themselves also express certain artistic values”. For that reason, “to learn about Mother Goddess religion as well as the origin and personality of each Saint, the Chau Van songs are an invaluable source of information. Moreover, through the Chau Van songs, we can also recognize the aspirations, thoughts and feelings of the people, the path and methods of folk art creation in the past as well as today”.
In Hau Dong (hau bong), there are 36 prices of mediums. In which, the Thanh Dong is the main host, directly performing the rituals and ceremonies of Hau Dong to recreate the image, personality, and life of the Saint being served. In Hau Dong, Cung Van is never absent. That person will sing with the band the melodies of Hat Van to serve Hau Dong. Hat Chau Van has many forms of performance such as Hat Thi (van thi), Hat Tho (van tho) and Hat Len Dong (van hau).
When the sky and earth are filled with spring colors, many tourists go down the Ba Bong River to Co Bo Temple (Ha Son Commune, Ha Trung) to burn incense, make offerings, and express their respect and pray for health, peace, happiness, and all things going smoothly and favorably. Amidst the vast river scene, in the lingering scent of incense smoke, the melodies of Chau Van, sometimes gentle and leisurely, sometimes humming and deep, echoing, further enhancing the beauty and sacredness of this place.
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Chung (commonly known as Uncle Chung), the keeper of Co Bo Temple (Ha Son Commune, Ha Trung) is a famous musician in and outside Thanh Hoa Province. His house is located right next to Co Bo Temple, which is one of the places where the Mother Goddess worship is practiced and practiced. Since he was a child, Uncle Chung has had a passion, love, and gradually developed a connection with Hat Van melodies, a unique traditional singing form of the nation.
Entering the profession with many difficulties, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Chung constantly strives, "learns from teachers", cultivates knowledge, perfects and refines professional skills. Mr. Chung said: "Hat van is very diverse in genre, lyrics, melodies and is imbued with indigenous cultural nuances. In hat van, there are about 15, 16 main melodies, each melody branching out. These are Bi, Mieu, Thong, Phu Binh, Phu Chenh, Phu Noi, Phu Con, Dieu Con, Dieu Doc, Tien Con Hau Luyen, Luyen Tam Tang, Dieu Xa... In Dieu Con, it is divided into Con Nam, Con Bac; In Dieu Doc, there are Doc Bac, Doc Nam; In Dieu Xa, there are Xa Bac, Xa Thuong, Xa Day Lech...".
Each medium has its own singing tune; each tune has its own unique and appropriate way of singing in different contexts, associated with the life, career, and personality of each Saint being served. Therefore, a medium is not only someone with a good singing voice, good health, and understanding of the melodies and singing techniques, but also must know about the relics, remember the lives, careers, and personalities of the mandarins and saints in the Mother Goddess religion.
Chung enthusiastically explained: “When singing the Van Hau songs of high-ranking mandarins, one must perform rich or vertical melodies to express solemnity, majesty, bravery, and the scholarly style of the royal court. But when singing the Van Hau songs of the Four Palaces Holy Ladies, one must use smooth and graceful melodies. According to the regional characteristics, when singing the Van Hau songs in the mountains or in the mountains, the melody must be rough, bumpy, and free; on the contrary, when singing the Van Hau songs in the vast river scene, it must be vast and profound.” Finishing his words, Chung hummed a verse depicting the beauty of Miss Bo Bong: “Her silky hair sways in the willow shadow/ Her straight parting reflects the world/ Her curved willow lines lie horizontally/ Her twin figures sparkle at the bottom of the water/ Her pretty face is as ivory as snow/ Her rosy cheeks are like the moon with lipstick/ Her youth is like the full moon...”.
Not only Co Bo temple, Thanh Hoa is one of the largest Mother Goddess worship centers in the country. Here, there is "the most sacred Song temple in Thanh land" (Bac Son ward, Bim Son town), Pho Cat temple (Van Du town, Thach Thanh), Na palace (Xuan Du commune, Nhu Thanh), Cua Dat temple (Thuong Xuan) ... attracting a large number of tourists to visit and worship. Therefore, the singing of Van also spreads, echoes from the highlands to the estuaries or the midlands, the plains, permeating the spiritual and cultural life, being the fertile alluvium in the cultural flow of Thanh land in particular, and Vietnamese culture in general.
In recent years, Thanh Hoa province has taken meaningful and practical actions to preserve and promote the value of singing associated with the practice of Mother Goddess worship; typically the establishment and active and effective operation of the Thanh Hoa Province Singing and Chau Van Club.
Established in 2020, the Club is a professional social organization, operating in the field of hat van, hat chau van, and practicing the Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people. The purpose of the Club is to gather and unite members, protect the legitimate rights and interests of members, support each other in activities, actively preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the homeland and country. Since its establishment, the Club has organized a number of forums to promote the beauty and value of the Mother Goddess worship; coordinated with units to successfully organize the Thanh Hoa Province Hat Van and Hat Chau Van Festival; organized activities, professional training, exchange and learn from experiences in organizing related activities in the field of hat van and hat chau van culture... These activities contribute to honoring, promoting and promoting the value of the Mother Goddess worship practice to the masses. Meritorious Artist Tran Van Thuan, head of the Tong Duy Tan Temple (Thanh Hoa City), and Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Province Hat Van and Chau Van Club, said: "The most important thing we aim for is that the activities of the Club will contribute to bringing the practice of Mother Goddess worship to its true identity."
The sound of singing and chanting has been and is beautifying the bright spring days...
Article and photos: Nguyen Linh
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/lang-long-nghe-hat-chau-van-239773.htm
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