The beauty of the spear and flag dance

The young generation of Giang village spread the beauty of the spear and flag dance.

Countryside rich in cultural traditions

Similar to many ancient Vietnamese villages, the village has two names, the nom name is Giằng village, the Chinese name is Thượng Liệt village, belonging to Đông Tân commune (Đông Hưng). According to the legend that is still passed down: At the end of the 13th century, the beginning of the 14th century, Princess Trần Thị Quý Minh - daughter of King Trần Due Tông, along with her two younger sisters Trần Thị Bảo Hoa and Trần Thị Ngọc Ánh were sent to pay tribute to Hồ. After the king passed away in 1388, the sisters were welcomed back to continue their father's career. Arriving at the mouth of the Trà River, the sisters stopped at Long Hưng prefecture, dividing and establishing a village. Among them, Mrs. Trần Thị Quý Minh returned to Giằng hamlet, now Thượng Liệt village. Here, she gathered residents, reclaimed wasteland, developed agriculture, gradually changing the people's lives, becoming more prosperous and prosperous. According to legend, in the early days of establishing the village, to help the people forget the hardships and to ease their nostalgia for the capital, she created the spear-flag-fan dance based on the story of Zhaojun paying tribute to the Hu and taught it to the villagers. Since then, the dance has become an indispensable form of cultural activity for the people of Giang village in the early days of spring. When she passed away, the villagers worshiped her as the Holy Mother and Thanh Hoang.

In Thuong Liet village, there are still 22 royal decrees of 16 dynasties, all of which conferred her the title of Supreme Goddess, showing the recognition of later generations for her achievements. Every year, Thuong Liet villagers hold a festival at the village's communal house - pagoda - mausoleum complex in the days after Tet, maintaining the spear, flag and fan dance as a traditional ritual. The dance not only reminds everyone of the merits of the person who created it, but is also a place for people participating in the festival to have fun and relax after days of hard work, hardship and fatigue; at the same time, it is also a place to express wishes for a prosperous and happy life and contribute to preserving the national cultural identity, restoring and promoting the value of folk culture.

Couple dance in all levels of spear dance, flag, spear and fan.

Unique dance and song

The spear, flag, spear and fan dance is a form of collective folk dance combined with a couple dance. The dance content expresses the princess's mood before going far away to say goodbye to her father and her wish for a prosperous life for the people. In the 36 levels of this traditional dance, many levels use folk dance materials and are adapted accordingly. Many movements focus on depicting scenes of rural life such as birds flying, shrimp catching, shrimp catching, boat rowing, etc., giving the dance a strong appeal. The rituals and beliefs of the rice-growing agricultural residents are clearly expressed in the dance levels. Regarding music, some dance levels only need drum beats as a signal, while others have lyrics, also known as rong. The rong person must know many lyrics and dances to rông correctly. Having been directly involved in the spear, flag, spear and fan dance for more than 50 years, artisan Lai Thi Thieu still practices diligently with the village artisans every day so that the ancient rong songs are not lost.

Artisan Lai Thi Thieu, Dong Tan commune shared: The dance has accompanying lyrics that make it easier for the audience to absorb the content of the dance. When the children dance, the lyrics are associated with each tune. For example, at the level of dance re, the lyrics are as follows: “Early spring/Opening ceremony/Dancing to worship the king properly/The king returns to the village to enjoy eternal happiness/Having celebrated the king, we celebrate the village/Open a party of singing and dancing girls/All of our friends in the village, dress up/Raise your wings to dance gracefully/Dance to worship the king, dance for the whole village/Stand tall/Stand level with your wings…” . The meaning of the dance is to dance to worship the king. The dance movements are both controlled by the drum beat and accompanied by lyrics to create harmony, flexibility but also solemnity and majesty.

The spear, flag, spear and fan dance was born and maintained in village festivals since the Tran Dynasty. When the country was at war, the dance was no longer maintained, but as soon as peace was restored, the villagers joined hands to restore it. Today's spear, flag, spear and fan dancers are not only unmarried girls but also middle-aged and elderly women. The costumes have also been improved to suit their ages, but basically, the spirit of the dance remains intact according to ancient times. Over 90 years old, excellent artist Bui Thi Ruoc, Dong Tan commune, still remembers the tour with the spear, flag, spear and fan dance in France, Sweden, America... especially the feelings of those who traveled several hundred kilometers to watch the dance. She emotionally said: The previous generations passed it on to us, and now we pass it on to the next generation to preserve it forever.

In the recent awarding of the title of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist of Thai Binh province, the provincial council approved a list of artists proposed for recognition in the folk performing art form, including spear and flag dance. The humanity and aesthetics expressed through the lyrics and dance make the ancient dance have a lasting vitality, overcoming the ups and downs of history, contributing to its own uniqueness, becoming a source of motivation to attract tourists from near and far to the rice land of Thai Binh.

Tu Anh

Source: https://baothaibinh.com.vn/tin-tuc/19/220860/ve-dep-dieu-mua-giao-co-giao-quat