The people of Liep Tuyet commune in Quoc Oai District in the former province of Ha Tay (now part of Hanoi) have abandoned an ancient vow in the hope of preserving their traditional folk songs (Hat Do), which have almost fallen into oblivion.

In memory of the god the villagers later built Khanh Xuan Temple, also known as Xuan Ca Cung (Temple for Spring Songs).

Hat Do is a kind of medieval Vietnamese folk songs from the ancient land of Phong Chau (Quoc Oai today), where the first Vietnamese kings, the Hung Kings, built their capital.

Legend has it that while touring the country, Tan Vien (one of the four immortal Vietnamese gods) once stopped in Liep Ha (Liep Tuyet commune today) and taught local residents how to grow rice and corn in the sandy fields, build dykes and irrigate the land.

Before leaving there he promised to return when the rice was ripe. That year, the villagers harvested a bumper crop and waited for him, but the god did not come back.

Only after 36 years did the god return to the village which had then become fairly prosperous. The villagers held a big festival to welcome their mentor. The god again taught them how to sing and dance beautifully like angels.

Ever since, the Hat Do festival has been regularly held, from the 10th to 15th of January in the lunar calendar.

According to ancient legend, the songs composed by the god could only be heard during the festival. All lyric books had to be safely locked away in a trunk after the festival ended, and no one was allowed to sing the songs. They all believed that if they broke the rule, they would be punished by the god and lose the power of speech.

The next festival would be held 36 years later. This is the length of time they counted since the god left the village until they came back to see them.

The last festival was held in 1926, says Do Huu Tuong, head of the commune’s Cultural and Information Board. After that, the Hat Do festival was not resumed because of long wars.

Unlike other festivals in the country, which are held annually, Hat Do takes place once in every 36 years. That is why its songs are not widely popular with Vietnamese in the country.

Ancient features

Hat Do consists of two types: linh ca (hat chuc) and tinh ca (love songs), also known as bo bo). Linh ca are the sacred songs that are sung in temples and pagodas during the festival, and their lyrics have been preserved since ancient times.

Tinh ca are songs expressing love, people’s aspirations and belief in the supernatural.

The Hat Do festival is likely associated with spring and traditional farming practices.

Although Hat Do is transmitted by word of mouth, its lyrics have been recorded over the years, with some of the earliest versions written in 1916 during the reign of King Khai Dinh.

Some of the ancient songs include Hai Hoa (Picking Flowers), Choi Qua Bai Cat (Playing in the Sand), Cheo Thuyen (Rowing Boat), Xuan Sang He (From Spring to Summer); Truc Mai (A Loving Couple), Len Chua (Going to Pagoda), and Muoi Dot Tu Tung (Mosquitoe Bites Everywhere).

The only instrument used in performing a song is a simple pair of senh (castanets) played by the Ong cai- a young man who should be handsome and have a good voice.

In preparation for a festival, small groups of young people are formed to practise singing. Each has only one male member (the Ong cai) and 24 young women called ban nang.

All of them must be “pure”, and have not been involved in funeral services or other sad events.

The Ong cai first arranges for the young women to line up in front of the temple, then claps the castanets together to lead them into the temple.

They stand in a ‘V” shape. The Ong cai begins with hat chuc or songs to wish for luck.

A session may last for several hours, with different groups performing in turn.

Preserving art

Because of enduring poverty and long wars, the Hat Do festival has almost fallen into oblivion. During a lifetime, a person can only attend the event twice because the interval between the two festivals is too long. That’s why Nguyen Thi Lan, a local artist, has a good reason to worry about how to preserve Hat Do.

She was born in 1956 in Liep Tuyet and used to be chairwoman of the Liep Tuyet commune Women’s Union.

With the support of local leaders, she has made the utmost of every opportunity to preserve a few dozen Hat Do songs.

In 1989, Lan and other cultural workers from the district asked some old villagers to teach them ancient songs. At first, the elders refused for fear of being punished by the god.

Only after seeing them pray to the god for the chance to sing Hat Do songs did one of the elders agree to help them.

Kieu Thi Hanh, 89, who is still alive, recalls that the last festival was held when she was just a little girl.

One year later in 1990, a Hat Do Club was established in the commune with only 25 members. Now its membership has doubled to 50 and many have won prizes and medals at the provincial and national folk music festivals.

“Every year we run a training course for 50 children”, says Lan. “It’s our pride and joy to hear them sing some Hat Do songs very well and, to be sure, this folk singing genre will continue to be passed down from generation to generation.”

VietNamNet/VOV