Preserving and conserving the Thai Xoe art heritage

Photo caption

Fan dance combined with bamboo dance, performed by the Thai ethnic community from Son La province. Photo (documentary): Xuan Tien/VNA

The soul of Thai culture

About 30km from Lai Chau city, Muong So commune, Phong Tho district is considered the cradle of the White Thai ethnic group with the Thai xoe dance that captivates tourists, likened to the music of a babbling brook, the people's souls open up with the xoe dance in harmony with the sound of drums, gongs, and the bustling sound of the Muong village festival.

Talking about the origin of the xoe dance, Ms. Tao Thi Phe in Hoi En village, Muong So commune - a member of the xoe dance team specializing in performing for guests of King Thai Deo Van An in the past, recounted: The land of Muong So in the past, including Ban Lang, Khong Lao and Muong So communes, Phong Tho district, was known as the birthplace of the ancient Thai xoe dance. Around 1946, when King Thai Deo Van An became the Governor of Phong To, managing 6 districts: Muong Khuong, Coc Leu, Muong Chan, Muong Than, Muong Lu and Muong So, at that time, the amateur xoe dance team of Muong So district had about 20 people aged 12 to 15. These were people who were carefully selected from the villages so that whenever the Governor had a superior guest or on holidays, the xoe dance team would be summoned to dance to serve.

At first, the xoe dance was very simple, without any process, combined with many props such as xoong, fan, scarf, hat... gradually the dance quality was improved and the performance was also more professional. According to the village elders in the commune, xoe originated from the working life, customs, and beliefs of the Thai people and is known for 36 ancient xoe dances with the characteristics of Thai folk dance art.

Every spring, Thai women here buy themselves new dresses and shirts to enjoy the xoe dance. The most prominent are the spring xoe dances such as: xoe conical hat, xoe scarf, xoe fan, xoe nhac, xoe hoop... But the most popular is the xoe hoop. The basic dance movements are raising the hands high, opening them, lowering them, holding the hands of the person next to them, and walking rhythmically. The xoe dance makes people feel refreshed and their bodies more flexible. The xoe dance is performed in ceremonies, weddings, festivals, and cultural events of the community. Over the years, the xoe dance has become an indispensable spiritual and cultural food in the daily life of the Thai people.

Thai people dance xoe not only to express their daily life, community attachment, and attachment to nature, but also to express the profound humanistic and cultural values of the nation. Xoe is a symbol of Thai culture that contributes to connecting people with people, people with heaven and earth in a lively but also social way. In particular, Thai xoe has a very high level of equality, when entering the xoe circle, there is no distinction between rich and poor, old or young.

Ms. Mao Thi On, Head of the Elderly Association of Vang Pheo Village, Muong So Commune, shared that she did not know when the ancient Xoe dance began, but only knew that it had been performed since the time of her grandparents and ancestors and had been naturally passed down through the generations. Xoe is practiced in many festival activities of the community. After a hard time with farming work, the women, mothers, and sisters in the village join hands in the Xoe dance. Regardless of age, when participating in the Xoe dance, everyone feels the human affection is closer and happier.

Mr. Vuong The Man, Chairman of Phong Tho District People's Committee, said: Muong So and Khong Lao are identified as the cradles of Thai ethnic culture in Lai Chau province. In all the folk cultural activities of the Thai ethnic group, the xoe dance is the soul of all activities. In recent times, the Thai ethnic group has maintained and developed the xoe dance in events such as traditional festivals and weddings. Thereby, the xoe dance has been nurtured, upgraded in scale and attracted a large number of ethnic people in the area. From there, the xoe dance has been raised to a higher level, creating an attraction in preserving and promoting national identity.

Preserve and conserve national heritage

Muong So commune currently has 3 ethnic groups living, of which Thai people account for 70%. In recent years, the preservation of Thai culture, especially the xoe dance, has been maintained and promoted by the local government and people. Currently, all villages in the commune have xoe dance teams for all ages with more than 30 art troupes. Thanks to these art troupes, they have contributed to preserving, restoring and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of the Thai people here.

Mr. Bui Quang Lich, Vice Chairman of Muong So Commune People's Committee, Phong Tho District said: As the cultural cradle of the White Thai ethnic group, in recent times, the work of preserving and promoting the national cultural identity has been united by the Party Committee, the communal government and the people to preserve the national identity. In particular, at Vang Pheo community cultural tourism village, on the occasion of welcoming tourist groups, the art troupes all gather to exchange cultural and artistic performances and perform the xoe dance. From there, creating excitement for tourists to enjoy with the people.

According to Mr. Vuong The Man, Chairman of Phong Tho District People's Committee, the whole district has 11 ethnic groups living, of which the Thai people account for more than 20%, living in 6 communes and towns in the district. Identifying the xoe dance as the core of the Thai ethnic activities, the district has developed a project to develop folk culture in Phong Tho district in association with tourism. In the coming time, the district will review all villages and hamlets, encourage people to regularly organize the xoe dance; organize a number of activities to restore festivals as well as implement cultural events; integrate with recreational activities to create the attraction of the xoe dance to promote and attract tourists to the Northwest and Phong Tho xoe dance.

Currently, the Thai ethnic group in Lai Chau accounts for about 32%, most concentrated in the districts of Than Uyen, Tan Uyen, Sin Ho, Phong Tho. In recent years, the preservation of the Thai Xoe Art heritage has been a focus of Lai Chau province. The province has organized training courses to teach the Thai Xoe Art, prioritizing the teaching of ancient Xoe dances to villages and art troupes.

Mr. Tran Manh Hung, Deputy Director of Lai Chau Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: The art of Thai dance was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, which is an honor and pride for the Vietnamese people in general, and the Thai ethnic community in the Northwest, including Lai Chau province in particular. In order for the Thai dance art heritage to continue to be preserved and its value promoted in social life, Lai Chau province continues to promote propaganda work to raise awareness of all levels, sectors and communities in preserving, conserving and promoting the value of the Thai dance art cultural heritage.

The province also effectively implemented programs, resolutions, and projects on preserving and promoting the traditional cultural identity of ethnic groups in association with tourism development; building and maintaining traditional art troupes and Thai dance art clubs in the community in association with local tourism development. In order for Thai dance art to continue to be preserved, spread, and promote its value, Lai Chau province requested the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to provide specific instructions and orientations in the work of preserving and promoting Thai dance art so that localities have a basis for implementation to ensure requirements and commitments.