The first Chau Van (Spiritual) Singing Festival which is being held in Hanoi from September 25 to October 5, aims to honour the artistic and spiritual values of the folk performance genre.
A wide array of performances
This year's festival draws the participation of the local mediums and Chau Van singing groups from 29 districts in Hanoi.
The festival features hau dong (mediumship) rituals performed to honour Mother Goddesses and connect with other gods.
The festival is divided into two rounds, starting with the district-level round, which runs from September 25-30 at four temples: Lam Du (Bo De ward, Long Bien district), Yen Phu (Lien Tri commune, Thanh Tri district), Cay Que (Trung Hoa ward, Cau Giay district) and Kim Giang (Kim Giang ward, Thanh Xuan district).
The ten most outstanding performances will be selected for the second round, which is scheduled to take place at the Worker Theatre on October 4 and 5.
According to Deputy Director Nguyen Khac Loi of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the organising board will not present prizes for singing performances. Medals, titles and certifications will however be awarded to mediums in order to honour their performances at the festival.
This is the first time Hanoi has hosted the Chau Van singing festival. Other provinces and cities, such as Hai Phong, Hai Duong and Nam Dinh have organised the event many times. Mediumship and Chau Van singing were also introduced in localities where Chau Van is not popular, including Con Dao, Tien Giang and Phu Quoc. A wide variety of mediums has registered to take part in the festival in Hanoi.
On the occasion, a seminar entitled "˜Preserving and Promoting Precious Values of Chau Van Rituals in Contemporary Life" is also be held on October 5. The event is expected to attract numerous scientists, cultural managers, Chau Van singing teams, mediums and instrumentalists.
Maintaining the colour of folklore
Chau van was created during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400). Northern Nam Dinh province is considered its birthplace. The main musical instrument used in the genre is the dan nguyet (moon-shaped lute).
The festival contributes to work on a dossier submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for recognition of Hanoi's traditional singing genre as National Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to Deputy Director Nguyen Khac Loi.
The festival aims to help people gain further understanding about the significance and the cultural and artistic values of Chau Van rituals, said Professor Ngo Duc Thinh.
The 2013 Chau Van Singing Festival also promotes standard methods of Chau Van performance, contributing to the maintenance of the cultural, artistic and spiritual values of this ritual in all localities around the country.
In particular, many mediums who performed ancient mediumships also take part in the festival. Through ancient manifestations, audiences can understand more about this traditional art form.
They also have a great reason to research this genre, particularly in seeking National Intangible Cultural Heritage status for Hanoi's Chau Van rituals.