More than 200 artists from 10 amateur art troupes are taking part in the
2013 Chau Van Singing Festival for the Red River Delta, which opened in
Vinh Yen city, Vinh Phuc province on March 24.

Singers at the festival come from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh and Hai Duong provinces.

The festival is part of the Vinh Phuc 2013 Tourism-Culture Week in
response to National Tourism Year in the Red River Delta. This is also
an important activity to preserve, honour and promote the spiritual folk
art’s value in Vietnam ’s cultural heritage, contributing to making
the art an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

It creates an opportunity for art troupes, experts and administrators to
exchange experiences to foster the development of Chau Van singing. The
festival will conclude on March 25.

Chau Van was created during the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400). Northern Nam Dinh province is considered its birthplace.

The
highly rhythmic form of singing often accompanies “hau dong”
(mediumship) during rituals to honour Mother Goddesses and connect to
other gods. It is performed at temples and pagodas.

The music and
poetry performed in the folk art are blended with a variety of rhythms,
pauses, tempos, stresses and pitches. The genre has also adopted folk
songs from the uplands and highlands of the North, Centre and South. The
main musical instrument used in the genre is the Dan Nguyet
(moon-shaped lute).-VNA