Scene at the ceremony (Photo: VNA) Quang Nam (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Hoi An, the centralprovince of Quang Nam, on May 7 to receive a certificate from UNESCOrecognising Bai Choi singing, a popular folklore style of singing in centralVietnam, as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The ceremony featured a parade with the UNESCO certificateheld up high and performances of Bai Choi singing, attracting thousands ofvisitors.
Earlier, the recognition of Bai Choi singing was made duringthe 12th session of the UNESCO Inter-governmental Committee for theSafeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Jeju, the Republic of Korea(RoK), on December 7, 2017.
The folk singing genre is popular in the central provincesof Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, PhuYen and Khanh Hoa, and Da Nang city.
Bai choi is often seen at local spring festivals andresembles a game, using playing cards and village huts.
The stage for Bai choi performances encompasses ninecottages, each containing five or six ‘players’. One of the cottages, thecentral house, contains a troupe of musicians and instruments. A deck ofplaying cards is split in half, with one stack distributed amongst the players,and the other placed in the central house. The cards are stuck onto bamboopoles and erected outside the cottages.
The game singer delivers a flag to each cottage, all thewhile singing Bai choi, and then draws a card from the central house. Whoeverholds the card closest in value to the game singer’s card wins.
The Bai choi songs are about festivals, daily life and work,and are accompanied by musical instruments.
The game and songs were developed by Mandarin Dao Duy Tu(1572-1634) to help locals protect their crops.
According to the Inter-governmental Committee for theSafeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Bai Choi is an importantcultural activity in Vietnamese villages and communes, meeting the demand forentertainment and arts of the community.
Bai Choi songs are moral lessons, demonstrating patriotism,connectivity in the community and living experience of people.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised BaiChoi as national intangible cultural heritage during 2014-2016.
Apart from Bai Choi, the UNESCO Representative List of theIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes other 11 Vietnamese heritage– the traditional practice of “Tho Mau Tam Phu” (Worship of Mother Goddesses),tug-of-war game, which is also played in Cambodia, the RoK and the Philippines,Nghe Tinh province’s Vi-Giam folk singing, Don ca tai tu (amateur singing insouthern Vietnam), Hung King worship ritual, Xoan singing of Phu Tho province,Giong festival and Soc temples in Hanoi, Ca Tru (ceremonial singing), Bac Ninhprovince’s Quan ho (love duet singing), the space of Gong culture in theCentral Highlands and Hue's royal court music.-VNA
VNA
