Phu Tho is regarded as the ancestral land and the root of the Vietnamese people. In this very place, more than 4,000 years ago, the Hung Kings founded the country of Van Lang, the first state of Vietnam. From this cradle, a lot of valuable cultural heritage of the Vietnamese people was established. Of these there is Xoan singing, a type of folk singing with the community’s cultural features and spiritual factors of the ancient Vietnamese people.
Performing the “Trong quan Duc Bac” dance. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang
According to research, Xoan singing is a genies-worshipping ritual. It consists of various elements, such as music, singing and dancing. Xoan singing is usually performed at communal houses and in early spring. There are three basic forms of Xoan singing, including singing to worship the Hung Kings and the village’s tutelary god, singing in a ceremony to pray for bumper crops and good health, and singing at the festivals where men and women sing duet love songs.
In the old days, in early Spring every year, the Xoan-singing groups performed at communal houses or temples of the village. On the 5th day of the lunar New Year they went to the Hung Kings’ Temple to perform. The custom of singing at the communal house was aimed at wishing each other good luck and praying to the genies. It also provided an opportunity for people in different villages to interact with each other.
Young men and women of the village perform love duets songs. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang
After 4,000 years, Xoan singing still contains traces of the ancient music of the Vietnamese people. It is also the first professional musical genre with a rather close organization. A Xoan-singing group is a village artistic organization. Most of its members are close relatives. The head of the group is responsible for bequeathing the singing and organizing the performance. In Xoan singing, dancing and singing always go together. The performers use dance to illustrate the lyrics.
Xoan singing is associated with the stories about the era of the Hung King’s national construction. The original villages with Xoan-singing are ancient villages located in the centre of the old country of Van Lang, present-day Viet Tri City in Phu Tho Province. These villages include An Thai, Phu Duc, Kim Doi and Thet in Kim Duc and Phuong Lau Communes (Viet Tri City, Phu Tho province). This art has retained many ancient cultural features from the time when the Hung Kings built the country.
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