Preserving beautiful cultural features in the life of Khmer people

In recent years, Hau Giang has paid attention to preserving and promoting the unique culture of the Khmer ethnic group in the area through practical actions.

The Kasaya Offering Ceremony will continue to be preserved and promoted in Hau Giang. Photo: TRUNG QUAN

From the art of singing Aday

Aday is a traditional folk art form in the Khmer ethnic community. It is a form of singing and responding between young men and women, sometimes with metaphors, sometimes with exchanges, expressing thoughts and feelings. Singing is often accompanied by dancing, with the meaning of praying for peace for the village and the village. However, a few years ago, only a few elderly people knew about it and this art form was also absent from the stage and festivals. Mr. Duong Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, shared: “Realizing that this art form is very unique but at risk of fading away, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism boldly proposed and built a project to preserve and promote it since 2016. Up to now, the project has been completed, but the promotion is still continuing on that basis. Aday clubs in areas with a large Khmer ethnic population have been established, both to create a playground and for those who have been trained in this art form to pass on the profession to young people.”

Along with creating conditions for artisans who have been trained from basic to advanced level in this art form to have a place to practice, to inspire their passion to preserve the unique art form of the Khmer people, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also integrates and encourages localities to build Aday performances in annual competitions and performances in the province, creating conditions for Aday singers to participate in regional competitions and performances. Artisan Danh Ky, in Hamlet 4, Xa Phien Commune, Long My District, shared: “I am very happy to learn how to dance and sing Aday, and to be allowed to compete. Now, I am putting all my heart and soul into practicing singing correctly and dancing well to teach my younger siblings and grandchildren. I am also nearly 60 years old, so I am even more active in participating to be able to contribute a little to preserving and promoting the beautiful art of my people, which has been revived by the locality in every way.”

To the Ceremony of Offering the Kasaya

As one of the localities benefiting from the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, in the near future, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will deploy a plan to implement Project 6: Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development. With the goal of supporting, researching, restoring, preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage values of ethnic minorities at risk of being lost, Hau Giang chose to make a documentary film about the Offering Ceremony of the Kathina Robe (also known as the Offering Ceremony of the Kathina Robe, the Offering Ceremony of the Flower) of the Khmer people. This is one of the three major festivals of the year for the Khmer people: the traditional New Year Chol Chnam Thmay, Sene Dolta and the Offering Ceremony of the Kathina Robe.

The ceremony of offering the robe is the pride and wish of every Khmer family and clan, showing respect and devotion to Buddhism. The documentary will help people, especially the Khmer, understand more deeply the unique cultural beauty of their people, to continue to preserve and promote it.

In addition to the documentary, in the implementation plan of this project, Hau Giang also focuses on building an Aday club at Mahameng Kolrangsay Pagoda in Ward III, Vi Thanh City; supporting the activities of the traditional art troupe of two ethnic boarding schools in the area and supporting and building 3 community bookcases in Xa Phien Commune, Long My District, where many Khmer ethnic people live.

The attention, support and creation of conditions to preserve and promote the unique culture of the Khmer people through specific actions, close to practical needs, has, is and will contribute to creating a spreading influence in preserving and promoting the unique culture of the Vietnamese people in general, and the Khmer people in particular.

VINH TRA

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