Then Practice Heritage of the Tay, Nung, and Thai People: Linking and Spreading

The Then Cultural Heritage Association of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association was established with the role of connecting the Associations, contributing to enhancing the heritage.

The practice of the Tay people, the baked, the linked and the spread image 1

Chau Dance performance by artisans and artists from the Northeastern provinces

Then is an indispensable ritual practice in the spiritual life of the Tay, Nung, and Thai people in Vietnam, reflecting their views on humans, the natural world , and the universe. Then ceremonies depict the journey of Mr. Then and Mrs. Then (Put, Giang, Slien) leading the army of ghosts from the earth to the sky to offer offerings and pray for peace, health, and good crops... On December 12, 2019, the Then practice of the Tay, Nung, and Thai people in Vietnam was officially recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Mr. Hoang Viet Binh, Vice President of the Lang Son Province Folk Song Preservation Association, said: The Lang Son Province Folk Song Preservation Association has made efforts to participate in collecting, researching and restoring intangible cultural heritage of humanity. However, many heritages have been recognized, preserved and protected, but there are still many relics and artifacts that are still underground, in villages and among the people, and have not been collected, managed, protected and promoted.

Mr. Binh said: "Artisans have gathered here to sing the Then tunes and Tinh voices of their homeland, joining hands to preserve, conserve and promote this heritage. With the responsibility of young pioneers, we realize that there needs to be more conservation measures in the community and among young people so that the Then tunes and Then practices of the Tay, Nung and Thai people do not fade away."

The practice of the Tay people, the baked, the linked and the spread image 2

Dr. Hoang Thi Hong Ha, the only Vietnamese working at Maison des cultures du monde (House of World Cultures - MCM) of the French Cultural Heritage Center (CFPCI), has always been interested in Then and has had many projects on Then as well as bringing a group of Tay and Nung artisans and artists to perform in Paris (France) to introduce to overseas Vietnamese and the international community: "I want Then to be known more and more, to be more respected to be worthy of this unique performance value. Currently, I see many researchers proposing solutions and I see them as very feasible solutions. One measure that I feel needs to be focused on the most is training the next generation so that Then can always be preserved and promoted."

The Then Cultural Heritage Association was established under Decision No. 53 of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association and the legitimate aspirations of Then artisans, Then culture researchers, and Then lovers nationwide. Mr. Vi Hong Nhan, Chairman of the Then Cultural Heritage Association (Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association) said: "The establishment of the Then Cultural Heritage Association at this time is meaningful in order to honor the value of Then cultural heritage that UNESCO has recognized, contributing to improving the current cultural and tourism life in the Tay, Nung, Thai ethnic groups in particular and mountainous areas in general. Promote the teaching of Then singing on Tinh lute, Chau dancing in Then, collect and research documents, translate Then lyrics from ethnic languages into Vietnamese, thereby learning from each other among provinces and ethnic groups about appropriate methods and forms".

Tay people's practice of pottery, pottery, pottery and ceramics image 3

A Then singing performance on stage at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture (Dong Mo, Son Tay, Hanoi)

Currently, most of the 11 provinces (including Tuyen Quang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Lao Cai) with Then heritage are actively implementing the Project on "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" under the National Target Program 1719, thanks to which, the activities of preserving and promoting the values of Then heritage have become more practical and widespread. The establishment of the Then Cultural Heritage Association promises to create unique tourism products, contributing to enhancing Then heritage as well as contributing to enhancing Vietnam's tourism.

Source: https://vov.vn/van-hoa/di-san/di-san-thuc-hanh-then-cua-nguoi-tay-nung-thai-lien-ket-va-lan-toa-post1078643.vov