The Lim festival in the northern province of Bac Ninh, dedicated to traditionallove duet singing, is expected to lure up to 10,000 visitors on the 13th day ofthe first lunar month or February 26 this year.
Nguyen Huu Manh, Head of theLim Festival Organizing Board on Feb. 24 said that the festival aims to preserveand revive the valuable, ancient art of love duet singing, or “Quan Ho”, whichhas been recognized by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible culturalheritage.
The festival will be held on Lim Hill where the Lim Pagoda islocated. The pagoda is dedicated to Hieu Trung Hau, who invented Quan Ho.
The festival itinerary will include the love duet singing ritual atwhich ancient melodies with the content praising the merit of gods and Buddha,are sung. There will also be a love duet singing festival with performances oflove duet songs exchanged by “lien anh” (brothers) and “lien chi” (sisters), whoare ordinary people hailing from different villages.
The love duets arean art form that combines various elements, including music, lyrics, costume,and a unique style of singing that reflects the close relationship between thesingers. The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray thezest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerlycalled Kinh Bac.
After Quan Ho was recognized by UNESCO in September2009, a strategy was adopted detailing a series of measures to be taken from2009 through 2015 to preserve this art form.
Accordingly, the Ministry ofCulture, Sports and Tourism, the Music Academy , and the departments of Culture,Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces have joined hands inassisting the local communities to systematically compile lists of love duetsongs, ancient and contemporary, as well as love duet singers, musicians andcomposers.
Lim Hill, where Quan Ho is performed during the festival, willbe developed into a Quan Ho Cultural Centre with an area reserved forperformances.
State agencies have also set out to help local Quan Hosingers establish their association and restore the worship songs which wereonce used at the Viem Xa village festival.
Apart from the State’sefforts, local people are encouraged to get involved in preserving Quan Ho.
“No one can preserve the arts as well as their creators. Let the peopletake on the stewardship of their own culture,” Prof. Dr. Ngo Duc Thinh, ViceChairman of the Asian Folk Culture Association and member of Vietnam ’s NationalHeritage Council, emphasized./.
Nguyen Huu Manh, Head of theLim Festival Organizing Board on Feb. 24 said that the festival aims to preserveand revive the valuable, ancient art of love duet singing, or “Quan Ho”, whichhas been recognized by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible culturalheritage.
The festival will be held on Lim Hill where the Lim Pagoda islocated. The pagoda is dedicated to Hieu Trung Hau, who invented Quan Ho.
The festival itinerary will include the love duet singing ritual atwhich ancient melodies with the content praising the merit of gods and Buddha,are sung. There will also be a love duet singing festival with performances oflove duet songs exchanged by “lien anh” (brothers) and “lien chi” (sisters), whoare ordinary people hailing from different villages.
The love duets arean art form that combines various elements, including music, lyrics, costume,and a unique style of singing that reflects the close relationship between thesingers. The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray thezest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerlycalled Kinh Bac.
After Quan Ho was recognized by UNESCO in September2009, a strategy was adopted detailing a series of measures to be taken from2009 through 2015 to preserve this art form.
Accordingly, the Ministry ofCulture, Sports and Tourism, the Music Academy , and the departments of Culture,Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces have joined hands inassisting the local communities to systematically compile lists of love duetsongs, ancient and contemporary, as well as love duet singers, musicians andcomposers.
Lim Hill, where Quan Ho is performed during the festival, willbe developed into a Quan Ho Cultural Centre with an area reserved forperformances.
State agencies have also set out to help local Quan Hosingers establish their association and restore the worship songs which wereonce used at the Viem Xa village festival.
Apart from the State’sefforts, local people are encouraged to get involved in preserving Quan Ho.
“No one can preserve the arts as well as their creators. Let the peopletake on the stewardship of their own culture,” Prof. Dr. Ngo Duc Thinh, ViceChairman of the Asian Folk Culture Association and member of Vietnam ’s NationalHeritage Council, emphasized./.
