Thi Chung neighborhood promotes the beauty of Quan Ho folk music.

BAC NINH - Thi Chung neighborhood (Kinh Bac ward) is one of the original Quan Ho folk singing villages of Bac Ninh province. Today, the residents of Thi Chung maintain and promote the cultural practices of the Quan Ho people, making a significant contribution to building a civilized lifestyle in the community.

The Quan Ho folk singing tradition originated from the custom of forming alliances between villages. A prominent feature of this alliance is that people from villages within the same alliance consider each other as relatives, constantly caring for and supporting each other in both material and spiritual aspects of life. In the past, the male singers would bring plows, harrows, and buffaloes to help their fellow Quan Ho singers.

Quan Ho folk singing from Thi Chung contributed to the festivities of the National Unity Day.

The female singers would go over to help their fellow Quan Ho singers with their rice planting. All of this was to ensure their friends could plow and plant on time, giving them time to participate in Quan Ho performances during the spring festival. On occasions when members of their Quan Ho group had joyous events like housewarmings, weddings, or the birth of a child, their friends would visit, first to offer congratulations, and then to organize singing to pray for good fortune and happiness. Conversely, when members of their Quan Ho group had sad events, such as illness or a death in the family, their friends would also visit to offer condolences. In the case of a funeral, they would organize devotional singing to pray for the soul of the deceased to find peace in the afterlife .

Today, with the increasing rate of urbanization, people's lifestyles have also changed significantly. The Party Committee of Thi Chung neighborhood always pays attention to leading the preservation and promotion of Quan Ho culture, multiplying beautiful actions in the community. Thi Chung maintains the activities of the Quan Ho club well. On every occasion of temple or pagoda festivals, Quan Ho singers from Thi Chung and neighboring Quan Ho groups eagerly gather, meeting to express their feelings through songs. The image of the male and female singers happily exchanging verses and songs during festivals or singing to congratulate the bride and groom at weddings has become very familiar to the people here.

Not only during important holidays, the beauty of Quan Ho folk music is also clearly evident in the daily lives of the residents. For a long time, the people of Thi Chung neighborhood have been accustomed to the neighborhood's loudspeaker system in the early morning. Sometimes it announces the policies of the Party committee and government at all levels; other times it calls for meetings and seeks opinions on issues concerning the people…

According to Nguyen Van Sau, Secretary of the Thi Chung neighborhood Party branch: Preserving and promoting the cultural values ​​of Quan Ho folk singing has a positive impact on building a civilized community. Residents of Thi Chung neighborhood actively participate in labor and production emulation movements and work together to build a cultural life that is progressive yet deeply rooted in their identity. In 2023 and 2024, the people of the neighborhood contributed over 1.2 billion VND to restore the village gate and renovate the communal house and pagoda to make them more spacious and beautiful.

Preserving and promoting the essence of Quan Ho folk culture, Thi Chung continues to develop, achieving brilliant successes, and the material and spiritual lives of its people are constantly improving. The neighborhood consistently receives the title of "Cultural Residential Area". Every year, 96-98% of households achieve the title of "Cultural Family".

Van Giang

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/khu-pho-thi-chung-phat-huy-net-dep-van-hoa-quan-ho-postid421163.bbg