Listen to Chau Van singing

Chau Van singing (also known as Van singing, Bong singing) is a form of ritual music associated with the ritual of spirit mediumship in the practice of Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people. This is also one of the important elements that create the attraction and uniqueness, contributing to making the Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people become a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

A price for a mediumship at Co Bo temple (Ha Son commune, Ha Trung).

The late Professor Ngo Duc Thinh - who devoted much effort and enthusiasm to reviving the quintessence of Mother Goddess religion, and authored many works and books on Mother Goddess religion, once commented: "The Chau Van songs were composed and recorded in Nom, Han or Quoc Ngu. In essence, these are hymns, sung by musicians during the sessions of the Mother Goddesses, along with music , dance and other rituals, creating a sacred atmosphere and integration between humans and the divine world. In addition to the ritual function, the Chau Van songs themselves also express certain artistic values." For that reason, "to learn about Mother Goddess religion as well as the origin and personality of each Saint, the Chau Van songs are an invaluable source of information. Moreover, through the Chau Van songs, we can also recognize the aspirations, thoughts and feelings of the people, the path and methods of folk art creation in the past as well as today."

In Hau Dong (hau bong), there are 36 prices of mediums. In which, the Thanh Dong is the main host, directly performing the rituals and ceremonies of Hau Dong to recreate the image, personality, and life of the Saint being served. In Hau Dong, Cung Van is never absent. That is the person who will sing with the band the melodies of Hat Van to serve Hau Dong. Hat Chau Van has many forms of performance such as Hat Thi (van thi), Hat Tho (van tho) and Hat Len Dong (van hau).

When the sky and earth are filled with spring colors, many tourists go down the Ba Bong River to Co Bo Temple (Ha Son Commune, Ha Trung) to burn incense, make offerings, and express their respect and pray for health, peace, happiness, and all things going smoothly and favorably. Amidst the vast river scene, in the lingering scent of incense smoke, the melodies of Chau Van, sometimes gentle and leisurely, sometimes humming and deep, echoing, further enhancing the beauty and sacredness of this place.

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Chung (commonly known as Mr. Chung), the keeper of Co Bo Temple (Ha Son Commune, Ha Trung) is a famous musician in and outside Thanh Hoa Province. His house is located right next to Co Bo Temple, which is one of the places where Mother Goddess worship is practiced and practiced. Since he was a child, Mr. Chung has had a passion, love, and gradually developed a connection with Hat Van melodies, a unique traditional singing form of the nation.

Music and orchestra to serve the spirit medium price.

Entering the profession with many difficulties, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Chung constantly strived, "learned from teachers", cultivated knowledge, perfected and refined his professional skills. Mr. Chung said: "Hat van is very diverse in genre, lyrics, melodies and imbued with indigenous cultural nuances. In hat van, there are about 15, 16 main melodies, each melody branching out. These are Bi, Mieu, Thong, Phu Binh, Phu Chenh, Phu Noi, Phu Con, Dieu Con, Dieu Doc, Tien Con Hau Luyen, Luyen Tam Tang, Dieu Xa... In Dieu Con, it is divided into Con Nam, Con Bac; Dieu Doc has Doc Bac, Doc Nam; Dieu Xa has Xa Bac, Xa Thuong, Xa Day Lech...".

Each medium has its own singing tune; each tune has its own unique and appropriate way of singing in different contexts, associated with the life, career, and personality of each Saint being served. Therefore, the medium is not only a person with a good singing voice, good health, and understanding of the melodies and singing techniques, but also must know about the relics, remember the life, career, and personality of the mandarins and saints in the Mother Goddess religion.

Mr. Chung enthusiastically explained: “When singing Van Hau (literary songs) for high-ranking mandarins, one must perform rich or vertical melodies to express solemnity, majesty, bravery, and a tendency toward royal erudition. But when singing Van Hau (literary songs) for the Four Palaces Holy Ladies, one must use smooth and graceful melodies. According to the regional characteristics, singing Van Hau Gia Chau (literary songs) in mountain villas and highlands must have a rough, bumpy, and free-spirited melody; on the contrary, singing Gia Chau (literary songs) in vast river landscapes must have a vast and profound quality.” Finishing his words, Mr. Chung hummed a verse of singing that depicts Miss Bo Bong’s beauty: “Smooth hair swaying in the willow shadow/ Straight parting reflecting the earthly world/ Curved willow lines lying horizontally/ Glittering at the bottom of the water, the mirror of the two figures/ Pretty face, ivory skin like snow/ Rosy cheeks like the moon painted with lipstick/ Youth at the full moon...”.

Not only Co Bo temple, Thanh Hoa is one of the major Mother worship centers of the country. Here there is "the most sacred Song temple in Thanh land" (Bac Son ward, Bim Son town), Pho Cat temple (Van Du town, Thach Thanh), Na palace (Xuan Du commune, Nhu Thanh), Cua Dat temple (Thuong Xuan)... attracting a large number of tourists to visit and worship. Therefore, the singing of Van also spreads, echoes from the highlands to the estuaries or the midlands, the plains, permeating the spiritual and cultural life, being the fertile alluvium in the cultural flow of Thanh land in particular, and Vietnamese culture in general.

In recent years, Thanh Hoa province has taken meaningful and practical actions to preserve and promote the value of hat van associated with the practice of Mother Goddess worship; typically the birth and active and effective activities of the Thanh Hoa Province Hat Van and Chau Van Club.

Established in 2020, the Club is a professional social organization, operating in the field of hat van, hat chau van, and practicing the Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people. The purpose of the Club is to gather and unite members, protect the legitimate rights and interests of members, support each other in activities, actively preserve and promote the traditional cultural values ​​of the homeland and country. Since its establishment, the Club has organized a number of forums to promote the beauty and value of Mother Goddess worship; coordinated with units to successfully organize the Thanh Hoa Province Hat Van and Hat Chau Van Festival; organized activities, professional training, exchange and learn experiences in organizing related activities in the field of hat van and hat chau van culture... These activities contribute to honoring, promoting and promoting the value of the Mother Goddess worship practice to the masses. Meritorious Artist Tran Van Thuan, head of the Tong Duy Tan Temple (Thanh Hoa City), and head of the Thanh Hoa Province Hat Van and Chau Van Club, said: "The most important thing we aim for is that the Club's activities will contribute to bringing the practice of Mother Goddess worship to its true identity."

The sound of singing and chanting has been and is beautifying the bright spring days...

Article and photos: Nguyen Linh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/lang-long-nghe-hat-chau-van-239773.htm