Thai Nguyen(VNA) – “Then” singing is an indispensable practice in the cultural andreligious life of Tay and Nung ethnic minority communities in the northernprovince of Thai Nguyen, especially Dinh Hoa region.

In the past, the artwas only performed in religious rituals, but today, Then singing has become apublic art seen in many festivals. With its high value, the art is in need of conservationand development, thus enriching the cultural treasure of the nation.

Popularising Then singing

Then singing eminentartisan Lu Xuan Lai, a resident of Dong Uan village, Phuc Chu commune, Dinh Hoadistrict, is a leading Then master of the Tay community in Dinh Hoa. He learntthe art from his father. Since 16 years old, Lai has mastered many Thenmelodies used in spiritual and religious events.

Lai said that for manygenerations in Dinh Hoa area, Then singing has been a popular cultural practicein the community. People invited Then singer in various occasions from wedding,funeral, house-warming to even sickness because Then singing is believed to helpconnect people and the gods.

Then is an art withthe combination of singing, dancing, instrumental music, narration and play.Then melodies differ in different occasions depending on the purpose of theevent. Apart from ritual significance, Then singing is also staged as an publicart and a kind of entertainment.

Through time, some initialpurposes of Then singing such as fortune telling and disease treatment havebecome lost in oblivion, but other types of Then performances praying for peaceand bumper crop still attract many people.

Then songs with newlyrics such as “Hoi xuan que noong” (spring festival in my hometown), “Viet Bacque em” (Viet Bac, my homeland), and “Trang soi duong Bac” (the moon lightsUncle Ho’s path), have earned popularity among younger generations, and havebeen regularly performed at art exchanges not only in Thai Nguyen but otherlocalities.

With his love for theart, since 2000 when Then singing started to recover in the locality, Lai has taughtthe art to his children, while travelling to other neighbouring localities suchas Bao Linh, Dinh Bien, Dong Thinh, Kim Phuong, Tan Duong, Quy Ky and Lam Vyfor teaching.

So far, the number ofhis students has mounted to hundreds, many of whom have become key players inThen singing movements in Dinh Hoa, Phu Luong districts and Thai Nguyen city.

[Quang N෴inh ready for national Then singing festival this May]

Along with preservingand popularising unique Then songs, Lai has also been famous for making gourdlute, called Dan Tinh or Tinh Tau, which is indispensible to Then singing. Eachyear, he makes from 150-300 gourd lutes.

According to theLiterature and Art Association of Dinh Hoa, currently, 18 Then singing clubshave been formed in 24 communes and towns of the district, drawing about 200singers and 500 trainees.

Suitable solutions needed to preserve the art

Currently, Thensinging has become a typical folk art of Thai Nguyen with high historical,artistic and scientific values. However, like many other folk arts, Thensinging is facing a risk of falling into oblivion.

According to theprovincial Cultural Centre, 70 percent of Then singing artisan and gourd luteplayers in the locality are 60 years old and above, while groups of Thenguiders are becoming fewer. Meanwhile, youngsters normally consider the art asa kind of entertainment, leading to a risk of losing ritual Then singing.

Therefore, along withsupporting old artisans, it is necessary to focus more on training successivegenerations. Local governments in districts and cities should create more“playground” for Then singers, thus popularizing the art among community in asustainable manner, especially among younger generations. The introduction ofthe art to schools is also a good idea.

Pham Thai Hanh,Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said thatover the past years, the province has applied a number of measures to preserveand develop the traditional art.

Then singing practiceshave been revived in many festivals and events, while Then singing clubs havebeen set up in localities with large number of Tay and Nung people.

The collection andprotecting of folk Then melodies have been implemented with the recording of 15melodies and gourd lute playing techniques of 15 artisans in the province.Masters of Then have also been honoured, said Hanh.

He added that in thecoming time, the province will pay greater attention to promoting Then singingand gourd lute by maintaining the operation of the clubs, designing supportpolicies for those who exerting efforts in keeping the art, and investing morein publishing Then song collections to maintain the art among generations andethnic communities in the province.-VNA