As the Chairman of the Ha Nam Province Chau Van Cultural Heritage Conservation and Promotion Club (abbreviated as the Club), folk artist Pham Hai Hau has organized activities attracting over 150 members, teaching the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship practice to nearly 1,000 people. In 2022, he was awarded the title of People's Artist by the President.
A life attached to the Three Palaces belief
Born in a village on the banks of the Nhi Ha River, in Moc Nam Commune, Duy Tien Town, artisan Pham Hai Hau has devoted his life to the rural life filled with love and rich cultural traditions. Lanh Giang Temple is a famous spiritual and cultural site in Ha Nam, associated with folk legends about the Three Water Gods (three generals of the Hung King period who helped King Hung fight against the Thuc Phan army, and were granted titles by the King) and Princess Tien Dung and her husband Chu Dong Tu.
In 1987, artisan Pham Hai Hau joined the Relic Management Board and practiced the religion at the Temple. The artisan said: “During this time, I studied the practice of rituals, received the dharma to become a Master, presented the medium to open a temple, practiced the worship of the Mother Goddess of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese people from medium Nguyen Thi Phuc in Hanoi. Medium Phuc was a person who practiced this religion for 50 years and was famous in Hanoi. She passed away in 1992. From 1989 to now, thanks to participating in the practice of the Mother Goddess worship, I have visited many other relics in the country such as: Dong Cuong Temple, Yen Bai; Mau Tien Huong Temple, Van Cat, Nam Dinh; Ong Hoang Muoi Temple, Nghe An; Chau Be Temple, Bac Giang; Tran Thuong Temple, Ha Nam; Dong Bang Temple, Thai Binh... to practice and teach the rituals.
The Vietnamese belief in worshipping the Mother Goddesses of the Three Palaces and Four Palaces has a long history, adapting to changes in society, towards the real life of people with the desire for health, wealth and luck. In particular, the Chau Van ritual is a characteristic of this belief. The Chau Van ritual carries many values of intangible cultural heritage such as: Cultural value, expressed in the performance aspect; spiritual value expressed in the ability to enter the spirit; aesthetic value expressed in the form of the ritual.
In 2012, the Chau Van ritual of the Vietnamese in Ha Nam was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage. By December 2016, the cultural heritage of the Vietnamese practice of the Mother Goddess Worship of the Three Realms was officially recognized by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Artisan Pham Hai Hau shared: “After more than 30 years of practicing the ritual and receiving ordination as a teacher, I have grasped enough knowledge about the rituals and skills of Chau Van performance. The Hau Dong ritual in Chau Van performance is a combination of many artistic elements, including singing, music, dancing, fine arts, and acting before the altar of the Mother Goddess of the Four Realms - a sacred, mystical scene, imbued with spiritual nuances. In that space and situation, if Hau Dong does not create mysterious spiritual connections in a cultural way, it will be very easy to fall into superstition.”
Hau Dong is a ritual in Chau Van singing performance, imbued with sacredness and national cultural identity, expressing the concept of praying for wealth and fortune, bringing the spiritual world into real life... Artisan Pham Hai Hau said: “Associated with the culture of Mother worship, len dong is a way to express respect and worship of the Holy Mother. This is a beautiful cultural feature of our people, preserved and existing in the spiritual life of people for generations. Hau Dong is essentially just a way to connect yin and yang, a way for people to pray for health, luck and success in life and career. People believe that doing so will be effective and this creates a very profound spiritual influence on people. Whoever cultivates virtue, lives well and beautifully in this world will enjoy blessings right here on earth..”
Recognizing the values of traditional folk art, artist Pham Hai Hau has continuously disseminated and promoted the value of Chau Van in social life and the people. He has participated in the provincial typical relic festivals, regional and national Chau Van performance festivals, etc., winning many awards.
Mr. Pham Huy Cuong, Moc Nam commune, Duy Tien town, one of the students he taught the practice of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship, commented: “Artisan Hau is a dedicated person, who has been attached to this art for a long time. Through his personal activities, the artist only has one concern: how to preserve Chau Van, bring Chau Van into the cultural and spiritual life of the people, and educate people to be grateful to the supernatural beings, saints, who have contributed to the country, to the people, to the history of building and defending the country of the nation.”
Preserving and beautifying Vietnamese cultural traditions
The activities of artisan Pham Hai Hau at Lanh Giang temple have always received support and assistance from authorities at all levels, functional agencies and the people. With his constant efforts, artisan Pham Hai Hau has become the one who has contributed to creating an impressive cultural and tourist space of Ha Nam, an attractive destination for visitors from all over the world. Thousands of his students have studied the practice of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship of the Three Realms, and have continued to spread the cultural values of this art form in life on his behalf.
The artist said: In 2014, I was appointed by the People's Committee of Ha Nam province to be the Chairman of the Ha Nam Province Chau Van Cultural Heritage Conservation and Promotion Club. Every full moon and first day of the lunar month, we organize performances at the central cultural house, the old Bien Hoa cinema (now the city's walking cultural space) with the club's operating budget entirely mobilized from socialized sources. The number of club members has grown from only 62 to over 150.
Most of the participants of the Van Hat Club clearly recognize their responsibility in spreading and preserving Van Hat. Not only that, they are also creative in their performances, singing ancient Van and singing Van with new lyrics to praise the beautiful landscape and people of Ha Nam today. They sing because of their love for Van Hat, because they want to contribute a small part to preserving and promoting the value of Van Hat in modern cultural and artistic life."
Commenting on the activities of People's Artist Pham Hai Hau, Mr. Ngo Thanh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: After seeing the effectiveness of performing Van singing on stage, artist Pham Hai Hau expanded his service to other districts. When sensitive issues surrounding the matter of spirit possession as an art or superstition have been debated for a long time, bringing Van singing to stages separate from the spiritual environment is also a way to demonstrate the value and true nature of Van singing. That is a way to bring Van singing closer to the spiritual and cultural life of the people. Now, Van singing in the walking street space of Phu Ly city has become a beautiful cultural feature that has entered the people's lives.
In 2015, Mr. Pham Hai Hau was awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan by the President. In 2022, he continued to be awarded the title of People's Artisan. The artist shared: “For me personally, after being awarded this noble title by the President, I see more clearly my responsibility in preserving and promoting the value of Chau Van cultural heritage. Through this activity, I want to contribute more to building, preserving and promoting national cultural values, carrying out humanitarian charity work, helping many difficult circumstances in today's society..."
Jiangnan
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