Meritorious Artist Ngoc Khanh staged a opera to be performed at the mausoleum of General Le Van Duyet.

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Khanh adjusts the actors' costumes before going on stage.

On the morning of February 16, many people and local authorities came to the tomb of Ta Quan Le Van Duyet (Ong Ba Chieu tomb) to attend the opening ceremony - pray for peace and watch the first opera performance of the new year.

When the show opened at 9am, the Management Board of Lang Ong relic site performed the Xay Chau ceremony, originating from the Dai Boi ceremony, following the royal court rituals of the Nguyen Dynasty. Many opera artists performed the Xay Chau, Dai Boi and Ton Vuong ceremonies - indispensable ceremonies at the beginning of the year at the Tomb of Ta Quan Le Van Duyet.

In folklore, there is a saying "The tail of Xay Chau, the head of Dai Boi" to describe the two consecutive ceremonies of Xay Chau and Dai Boi.

Crowds of spectators watch opera at the mausoleum of General Le Van Duyet

On the same day, two plays "Ngoc Huynh Lan Xuat The" (authors: People's Artist Dinh Bang Phi, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Khanh) and "Ta Quan Le Van Duyet" (author: Huu Lap, director: Meritorious Artist Ngoc Khanh) were performed for the public.

Crowds of people lined up to get their stamps at the Tomb of General Le Van Duyet.

Since Ho Chi Minh City announced the renaming of Dinh Tien Hoang Street (from Bong Bridge to Phan Dang Luu Street) to Le Van Duyet Street, every spring, audiences from everywhere flock to Lang Ong to burn incense and attend the ceremony. The road becomes bustling because of the large number of vehicles traveling to Lang Ong. This year, visitors wore traditional ao dai to attend the ceremony very solemnly.

People burn incense to honor General Le Van Duyet.

Throughout the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Khanh's opera troupe performed the two plays mentioned above in turn, in which the play "Ta Quan Le Van Duyet" recreated his life, as well as helped visitors understand more about the beauty of opera art.

Artists preparing to go on stage

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Khanh and artist Hieu Canh

Artists with the Great Offering Ceremony

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Khanh said that appearing around the 13th century until now, after more than 700 years, hát bội has made efforts to reach audiences with more refined lyrics and faster-paced scripts.

Artist Hieu Canh said: "Being appreciated by the audience during Tet is the first blessing of the year for opera artists. For me, it is the motivation for opera artists to work together to preserve their profession and practice religious rituals every spring at Lang Ong, which is the traditional culture of the people of Ho Chi Minh City."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nsut-ngoc-khanh-dan-dung-vo-hat-boi-cong-dien-tai-lang-ta-quan-le-van-duyet-196240216123859826.htm