Every weekend, the sounds of traditional boat rowing chants resound from the Thuận An village cultural center (Tam Hải commune). The simple, honest men and women of this coastal village enthusiastically follow the songs and the rhythm of the oars, forgetting the hardships of their days spent earning a living at sea. For the people here, it's not just a cultural activity, but also a way to preserve a part of the soul and essence of their coastal homeland.
According to the elders, after more than 500 years of formation and development, the traditional cultural values of Thuan An coastal village were once in danger of disappearing. What worried the elders most was the loss of the Ba Trao singing ritual, a characteristic religious activity of the coastal inhabitants. From this regret, they began a journey to rediscover the old lyrics, restore the ritual, and mobilize the people to participate in preserving it.
That perseverance has yielded valuable results, with Thuan An becoming the only village in Tam Hai island commune to successfully revive the traditional Ba Trao folk singing troupe. Village head Tran Minh Tap of Thuan An said: “What’s special about this place is that quite a few women are involved in preserving this art form, rather than viewing it as solely a men’s job as before. The Ba Trao troupe now not only serves traditional ceremonies but is also being developed into a unique tourism product for the locality in the future. In addition, the annual boat race is still regularly held as an indispensable part of the people’s cultural life.”
In Tam My commune, the "Tam My Market" model originated from the Standing Committee of the commune's Party Committee's initiative to build a model for preserving the rural culture of Quang Nam province. To date, the market is regularly maintained, bringing together approximately 100 items of clean agricultural products, OCOP products, local specialties, and handicrafts from the locality and neighboring communes. Each stall is not only a place for buying and selling but also tells the story of the hard work, skillful hands, and love for their homeland of the local people. This is what creates the unique appeal of the market.
The most striking highlight of the market is the traditional food area. Simple, rustic dishes and traditional cakes, prepared on the spot, offer a familiar taste of home. The "village memories" space recreates familiar images and objects from previous eras of Quang Nam's countryside. These simple corners help many people rediscover childhood memories and images of their old villages. Alongside this are a series of cultural and entertainment activities such as traditional folk singing, bolero music nights, children's painting competitions, bamboo pole dancing, stilt walking, blindfolded drum beating, etc., contributing to the vibrant recreation of traditional culture.
“We believe that when each market closes, what remains is a warm, familiar feeling of a community cultural space. Tam My market is a bridge between the past and the present, between tradition and modernity in the development flow of our homeland. Here, the younger generation will be nurtured by the beautiful traditional cultural values of their ancestors,” affirmed Mr. Nguyen Quang Thanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tam My commune.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/lang-que-xu-quang-giu-truyen-thong-3341205.html
