Hat nha to - hat and dance at the communal house: A unique art form in Van Ninh

According to folklore researchers, hat nha to - hat, dance cua dinh was born around the 10th century, during the Ly dynasty and Van Ninh (Mong Cai) is one of the cradles of hat nha to - hat, dance cua dinh. This art form has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage and is still preserved with unique and distinctive features at the Van Ninh communal house festival.

Hat nha to - hat, dance cuoi dinh originated from Vietnamese ca tru, the space of hat nha to - hat, dance cuoi dinh only takes place at village communal houses during the spring festival. Hat nha to - hat, dance cuoi dinh includes dances offering incense, flowers, and candles to the gods with songs imbued with spiritual elements. The content of the songs praises national heroes, people who have contributed to the country and the village.

Hat nha to - hat, dance cuoi dinh is a type of performing art before gods, before national heroes, so performing hat nha to - hat, dance cuoi dinh requires high discipline. The singers not only sing well, dance flexibly but also have to know how to combine smoothly with musical instruments; the chants of blessing the gods like the singer's greeting to the gods will start the performance. After that, the singers will sing songs or verses praising the loyalty of subjects to the king, teaching about morality, loyalty, advising children about filial piety, about village love and neighborly love...

Meritorious Artist Le Thi Loc (middle) and members of the Hat Nha To - Hat and Dance Club of Van Ninh commune perform a performance at the Van Ninh communal house festival in early spring 2023. — Meritorious Artist Le Thi Loc *(middle)* and members of the Hat Nha To - Hat and Dance Club of Van Ninh commune perform a performance at the Van Ninh communal house festival in early spring 2023.

Despite experiencing many ups and downs of history and society, hat nha to - hat and dance of communal houses still maintain and develop in the flow of history and culture, thereby contributing to preserving and conserving national intangible cultural heritage for future generations.

Meritorious Artist Le Thi Loc (Nam village, Van Ninh commune, Mong Cai city), head of the Hat nha to - hat, cua dinh dance club of Van Ninh commune, said: Most of the Nha to - hat, cua dinh dance include many voices such as thet nhac, tha, phu, ca tru, ham and nhi, along with simple, graceful dances such as offering incense, offering flowers and offering candles to the gods such as the incense offering dance with two songs, the dance to welcome the god to the village temple (welcoming the god), the incense offering dance first followed by the flower offering dance to celebrate the god, the lantern dance to send the god off, the whole dance group sings...

Meritorious Artist Le Thi Loc added: Hat nha to - hat, dance cua dinh is mainly passed down orally, so many songs and lyrics have been lost. Our Hat nha to - hat, dance cua dinh club was established in 2011 with 42 original members. In addition to singing at festivals, we also collect, compile and teach to preserve and promote the lyrics and dances of hat nha to - hat, dance cua dinh for future generations. Every month, the club organizes meetings, exchanges, knowledge sharing and practice of hat nha to - hat, dance cua dinh... for club members.

Hat nha to - hat and dance at the communal house gate is a form of folk performance and also a custom, a ritual and an indispensable traditional cultural beauty in the Van Ninh communal house festival, Mong Cai city on festivals or cultural events. It is very necessary to preserve, maintain and promote its value.

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