Concerns about finding a successor
Hat ba trao is a traditional folk art form with spiritual elements that has existed for a long time, often taking place in fishing ceremonies or annual national solidarity festivals in coastal fishing villages in the communes of Tam Xuan, Tam Anh, Nui Thanh, Tam Hai ( Da Nang city). Hat ba trao is also known as cheo ba trao, ho hau linh, ho dua linh...
This art originated from the coastal residents' ritual of worshipping Whales by singing Ba Trao with dance movements expressing the actions of fishermen fishing at sea. The purpose of the Ba Trao singing ritual of the fishing village residents is to pray for favorable weather, calm seas, full holds of fish and shrimp, bringing prosperity and happiness to everyone.
The art of singing Ba Trao is very unique with vivid details that attract viewers. The actors reenact every action in the whole process of a fisherman going out to sea to catch fish. The team participating in singing Ba Trao includes: Tong Mui (also called Tong Tien), Tong Khoan (Tong Thuong) and the person commanding the boat is Tong Lai (also called Tong Hau) and members from 10 to 16 people (also called Trao).
Of the 3 “Tong” of the Ba Trao singing genre, Tong Mui is the most difficult to perform. The person in this position is considered the leader and commander-in-chief, must have talent, a good voice, be knowledgeable in folk songs and have a passion for the art of Ba Trao. However, currently, finding a young Tong Mui to sing Ba Trao is very difficult.
In Xuan Tan village (Tam Anh commune), there was an old man named Le Van Minh (passed away in 2024) who was known as a veteran leader. Since the 1970s, he traveled throughout the villages of the South Central Coast to collect, research, and study the art of singing Ba Trao. When he returned to his hometown, he founded a Ba Trao team, practiced, and performed at fishing festivals in many fishing villages.
Previously, with the support of the Department of Culture and Information of Nui Thanh district (old), Mr. Minh established 2 young ba trao singing teams with members who were junior high school and high school students. Through training, his ba trao singing team performed at many fishing festivals around the area. In fact, young ba trao singing members are easy to find, but very few "Tong" can take on the role. There were 2 people who were "taught" the profession of Tong Mui, but they did not stick with ba trao singing because they had to worry about making a living.
Need worthy investment
Many years ago, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province (old) supported 4 million VND each year for the Ba Trao singing team of Tam Hoa commune (old). However, with this amount of money, minus the cost for each performance, the remaining money for the 16 members makes it difficult to maintain related activities. In recent times, the Ba Trao singing team here has been operating less and less. Some fishing villages in Tam Xuan commune, when organizing fishing ceremonies or national unity days, often have to hire a Ba Trao singing team from Hoi An.
Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Xuan Tan village (Tam Anh commune) said: "Mr. Le Van Minh has passed away, currently the locality still has a number of people who have learned the art of singing ba trao, taking on the role of "Tong". However, it is necessary to pay attention to and mobilize to reorganize it properly, otherwise singing ba trao will be lost".
Currently, the preservation and development of the folk art of singing Ba Trao is facing many difficulties. The worrying thing is that most young people are indifferent or do not have the opportunity to access this art form. They are not fully aware of the value of the national intangible cultural heritage - singing Ba Trao. Therefore, the transmission of the art form of singing Ba Trao to the younger generation is difficult to achieve.
In addition, implementing the 2-level local government model, the work of preserving and developing cultural heritages in general, and intangible cultural heritage of hat ba trao in particular in Tam Xuan, Tam Anh, Nui Thanh, and Tam Hai communes, needs to be paid attention to by the City People's Committee and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism with specific solutions.
According to the previous proposal of Nui Thanh district (old), the higher-level cultural sector should pay attention to researching and helping localities restore intangible cultural heritage in the area, especially the art of singing Ba Trao; have policies to support people participating in training and directly performing this unique art form, and move towards building a project to preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage of singing Ba Trao in localities south of Da Nang city.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/di-san-hat-ba-trao-can-duoc-bao-ton-3306184.html
Comment (0)