Surely somewhere in your memory, you have heard the catchy melodies of the Lien Anh and Lien Chi of Kinh Bac interacting with each other, inviting each other to have a piece of betel or a cup of water to show their hospitality.
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| Main door of Bac Ninh Quan Ho Theater. |
"Eat a piece of betel, eat a piece of betel here.
Don't eat, take it Don't eat, take it
Give each other betel with this betel, betel character, betel love.
This betel is betel of character, this betel is love.
Eat to be red Eat to be red
Our lips, your lips, the betel leaf is a golden betel leaf.”
When mentioning Kinh Bac - Bac Ninh, it would be a mistake not to mention the intangible cultural heritage of "Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs". Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs have a long history, created by the Vietnamese (Kinh) community in Quan Ho villages and some neighboring villages.
Unlike other forms of folk singing, at first Quan Ho folk songs were just folk songs for exchange in the village life of Kinh Bac people. They were antithetical lyrics for communication and behavior when speaking, standing, sitting, inviting, seeing off, etc. Gradually, those charming lyrics became a proud culture of the indigenous people.
Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs are the antiphonal songs between Lien Anh and Lien Chi. They often sing Quan Ho in early spring and autumn when there are festivals or when friends come to visit to show their friendliness. The Lien Anh in traditional costumes of turban and Ao The and the graceful Lien Chi in Ao Mo Ba, Mo Bay, and conical hats with quai Thao on their heads, sing together simple, affectionate songs, singing in the traditional way without the need for musical accompaniment but still full of music, expressing the subtle cultural features of Quan Ho.
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| Performance of Lien Anh and Lien Chi singers at Bac Ninh Quan Ho Theater |
Quan Ho folk songs are extremely diverse with more than 500 songs and 213 tunes performed with unique and special singing art. Quan Ho singing is special because of the combination of music, poetry and the voice of the Quan Ho artist. The lyrics of a song have two parts: main lyrics and secondary lyrics. The main lyrics are the core part, reflecting the content of the song, secondary lyrics include all the sounds outside the main lyrics, are the accompaniment sounds, breath sounds such as i hi, u hu, a ha, ... Quan Ho singing art requires the artist to use secondary sounds and secondary lyrics next to the main lyrics to make the main lyrics smoother and enhance the musicality of the song, making the melody more vivid.
The lyrics of Quan Ho folk songs are often polished verses and folk songs using pure and exemplary words. The content of the songs often expresses people's emotional states such as longing and sadness when parting; the joy of couples in love when meeting again; ...
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| Together, they gracefully shared their singing voices. |
The Hanoi delegation had the opportunity to experience Quan Ho singing with the artists of the Quan Ho Den Do Folk Song Club. The lyrics of the song "Guests come to play at home" were sung by the girls, making the Hanoi delegation feel moved when listening to the ancient Quan Ho folk song melody.
Lyrics: Guest comes to visit the house (Ancient Quan Ho lyrics)
"Guests come to play at home, they play at home."
Burn charcoal and fan the water to make tea.
Please have a cup of this tea.
So precious, oh so precious, you two.
Each person eats each bowl.
please give me i i want to give
Dry river, dry river, dry land.
Let me go there alone, otherwise I will have to take the ferry to the temple.
See the word Linh A Nhang.
Near the temple is a temple without much charm, the morning is just a stretch of flowers, the morning is all over the peach garden.
How many people are sitting there?
what is it or not is it yes or no should
Spinning thread, oh spinning thread, oh red thread?
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| Hanoi delegation experiences Quan Ho singing with the Lien Chi of the Quan Ho Folk Song Club at Do Temple |
According to the sharing of the Lien Chi sisters, "When Quan Ho people come to visit, they cannot ignore the custom of offering tea and betel"; "When offering tea, the ancients have a saying: two hands lift the tray of betel - fragrant tea permeates all ten fingers"; "When offering betel, there is a saying: green betel, white areca, pink areca - lime mixed with meaning, strong tobacco with charm". One can see the "charm" in each verse of Quan Ho folk songs, very simple but no less intimate. They put into the verses their love and heart with the desire to express their affection for each other.
Talking with Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan - Head of the Quan Ho Folk Song Club of Do Temple, Dinh Bang, Tu Son, Bac Ninh, who inspires young generations with a passion for Quan Ho folk songs, the Hanoi delegation heard Ms. Lan sing Quan Ho very passionately. She shared:
“The folk do not know what is standard. Playing Quan Ho culture, the behavior is difficult, singing requires work. Children must be happy, I really like the young people to maintain their identity. Quan Ho village says half eat half, when eating with friends you can eat at once, you can also eat half at once to talk and drink together.
At the beginning of the tray is a plate of salt, at the end is a plate of pickles. Please raise your bowls and put down your chopsticks so that Quan Ho can continue. In Quan Ho singing, there is a Quan Ho singing style. When meeting each other, we sing in the Quan Ho singing style (several songs with the Quan Ho singing style are extremely difficult), then we start with the Van singing style, then the Farewell singing style (the final style).
There are many ways to introduce quan ho songs, but I want to include some introductions for listeners to pay attention, to listen to that song: Introduction to Con Duyen - The presence of such a large number of distinguished guests, coming to Bac Ninh - Kinh Bac, we are hospitable and happy to sing that only when we love each other will we come to visit your house. In the Bac Ninh quan ho folk song, in the song Con Duyen, there is a line "Don't see me with many friends and be suspicious, with many friends, I will still wait for a good person". I would like to tell you, everyone likes beautiful people because beautiful people have beautiful voices, and beautiful people have clear minds and emotions. Why do boys and girls from Bac Ninh only sing about good people? Because Bac Ninh people believe that beautiful people are only the beauty of the external form, like flowers that easily fade over the years, while good people are the beauty of moral qualities, of wisdom inside, who will live fully with human lives, spreading forever. The elders still say “Good wood is better than good paint, Ugly person with beautiful character is better than beautiful person”. If a person has both beauty in appearance and beauty in moral and intellectual qualities, how much more valuable is he. That is the content of the famous song in the love-response style of Bac Ninh folk songs - the song Still Fate.”
The group has gained more knowledge not only about Quan Ho folk songs but also about the cultural exchange of Kinh Bac people. Ms. Lan has been active in the arts since 1986, up to now she has had 28 years of experience, she does not keep those melodies for herself, but wants to pass them on to the next generations, so that Quan Ho singing will be preserved forever, according to her.
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| Quan Ho singer and character experience |
Nowadays, many villages in Bac Ninh still maintain the Quan Ho culture with hundreds of songs with ancient, rustic and simple lyrics, carrying within them the sacred beauty of Kinh Bac land.
The beauty of Bac Ninh Quan Ho is the harmony between the sweet melodies of the Lien Anh and Lien Chi singers; between the unique traditional costumes and the cultural behavior when making love. These images have gradually become familiar to domestic and international tourists, images that evoke a peaceful village in the North, graceful girls wearing ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba cuoc and boys wearing tunics and turbans.
As a unique cultural feature of the Kinh Bac people, Quan Ho Bac Ninh has been passed down from generation to generation but still carries within itself the intact spiritual value not only of Bac Ninh province but also internationally famous. In 2009, Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs were recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage for the spiritual values that this art form brings.
Although life is increasingly modernized, Quan Ho folk songs still exist in the subconscious of Bac Ninh people in particular and Vietnamese people in general. The enduring vitality of this art form throughout its long existence still attracts and creates a good impression on tourists from all over the world.
(*): Faculty: International Relations - Major: Foreign Information - Academy of Journalism and Communication
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trao-duyen-qua-lan-dieu-dan-ca-quan-ho-bac-ninh-272532.html
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