The journey of reviving and spreading the artistic heritage of Da Trach drums

Amidst the modern flow, the unique echoes of this national intangible cultural heritage are not only the pride of Hung Yen people but also open up the potential for sustainable tourism development for the locality.

The historical journey of Da Trach military drums

No one knows when the military drums of Da Trach commune began, but the elders say that they were passed down from generation to generation. In the past, the military drums were present in special moments: the idle farming days after the harvest, on moonlit nights, or during village festivals or old people's feasts. On those occasions, the two sides of men and women would respond affectionately, the male side would respond while the female side would lecture and vice versa. A military drum beat could last for several days, only stopping when one side could no longer respond.

Performance of Da Trach Military Drum Club.

The unique feature of Da Trach military drums lies in the characteristic musical instrument - "earth drum" or "earth drum", a musical instrument that cannot be found in any other region. The artisan uses two stools of moderate height, combined with two wooden sticks to knock and keep the rhythm when singing, creating a characteristic, smooth, and beautiful sound. This musical instrument is called a drum but it is not a drum, and it is struck on strings but not on a lute, a unique combination that only appears in the cultural space of Da Trach commune.

During the resistance war against the French in 1946, when most of the Red River Delta was temporarily occupied, the drum singing of Da Trach was at risk of being lost. It was not until 1991, when Mr. Nguyen Duy Phi - a native of Da Trach, Director of the Vietnam Puppetry Theater, initiated the restoration of the drum singing when he learned that the Ministry of Culture had a program to restore the folk cultural heritage of the regions. This wish was agreed and supported by the local government and the elders in the village. With the help of Mr. Le Hong Diep, a master of literature and poetry, the two elders collected and compiled the drum singing verses, preserving the "good ideas and beautiful ideas".

Countryside soul through the artist's words

The person who sings the military drum must be a polite and elegant communicator. That is also the first impression when talking to the excellent artist Nguyen Thi Xuyen - who has been attached to the military drum for more than 30 years from 1993 to the present. For her, the military drum is not only the lyrics and singing, but also the childhood memories and the soul of her hometown Da Trach.

Not only is she the keeper of the drum singing, Ms. Xuyen is also an important bridge to bring this heritage closer to the community, especially the younger generation. Not wanting the drum singing to only exist within the club, she and other artists proactively proposed to the local government to expand teaching activities. Since then, many drum singing training classes have been organized for the people. "I thought that few people would love this singing style now, but when the class opened, the number of people registering to participate was higher than expected. There were people from other districts who traveled dozens of kilometers to regularly come to study. Each person has their own circumstances and approach, but the common point is that they all feel the beauty of this art form," Ms. Xuyen shared.

Commemorative photo of Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuyen performing drums.

The good news is that the teaching work is being expanded. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hung Yen province, in coordination with the Departmentof Education and Training, and the Center for Culture - Sports and Tourism of Khoai Chau district, has developed a plan to bring military drums into schools. Ms. Xuyen and the artisans in the Da Trach Military Drum Club directly undertake this work, starting at primary and secondary schools in Da Trach commune, then expanding to many other localities in the province. Not only teaching ancient melodies, the artisans also compose and perform new songs praising the homeland, the country, the Party, Uncle Ho and the beloved school, breathing new life into the folk art treasure.

The great contributions of Ms. Xuyen and the artists were duly recognized when in 2015, 7 folk artists of the Da Trach Drum Singing Club were awarded the title of "Meritorious Artist" by the President. Two years later, the Drum Singing of Hung Yen province was officially recognized by the State and listed as a "National Intangible Cultural Heritage". This is also a strong testament to the unique cultural value of this art form.

Connecting heritage with sustainable tourism

Da Trach drum singing is not only a cultural heritage but also a great potential for developing spiritual and cultural tourism in Hung Yen. Associated with Hoa Da Trach temple - a place to worship Chu Dong Tu, one of the "Four Immortals" of Vietnamese folk beliefs - the drum singing becomes a bridge between the past and the present, contributing to promoting local identity.

Meritorious artist Nguyen Thi Xuyen teaches students to sing "trong quan" (military drums).

"We are deeply aware that Da Trach military drums are not only cultural treasures that need to be preserved, but also a potential resource for developing local cultural and spiritual tourism," said Mr. Nguyen Tien Loc, Vice Chairman of Da Trach commune. "However, currently, the exploitation of intangible cultural values ​​such as military drums is still modest, mainly on a small scale, lacking professionalism."

Mr. Loc said that the local government is aiming for a development model that harmoniously combines cultural heritage conservation and sustainable tourism development and has built a development roadmap with specific solutions as follows: Firstly, organize regular drum performances at the relic site, turning this art into an indispensable cultural specialty in the Da Trach festival, attracting visitors; Secondly, closely coordinate with folk artists to build a professional and diverse performance program, both preserving the traditional quintessence and having modern ways of expression suitable for the contemporary public; Thirdly, design a thematic tour, connecting famous cultural and spiritual destinations: Da Trach Temple - Nom Pagoda - Pho Hien - Hung Yen Mau Temple. On this journey, visitors not only visit but also experience participating in the drum singing, learn about the history of Chu Dong Tu and Vietnamese folk beliefs.

In addition, the development of community tourism models also needs to be focused on, bringing people from the role of cultural beneficiaries to become active subjects in preserving and promoting heritage. Mobilizing local people to participate in teaching drum singing, working as local tour guides, producing and trading traditional products not only creates jobs, increases income but also raises awareness of cultural preservation in the community.

In the context of digital transformation, the locality also does not forget to apply modern technology and communication, digitize documents on military drums, create attractive content on social networking platforms to reach young people. In particular, organizing competitions to compose military drum lyrics with modern content and educational significance is an effective way to help traditional heritage integrate with the flow of contemporary culture.

Developing the art of Da Trach drums in association with spiritual tourism not only helps preserve a valuable cultural heritage but also opens up a sustainable development direction for Hung Yen tourism. This is a model that harmoniously combines traditional values ​​and modern needs, between spirituality - culture - economy, contributing to enriching national identity and creating momentum for the comprehensive development of the locality.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/hanh-trinh-phuc-hung-va-lan-toa-di-san-nghe-thuat-trong-quan-da-trach-10304575.html