A rhythm for the new year

(VHQN) - Since ancient times, nursery rhymes - folk games played while singing - have played an extremely important role in the cultural and spiritual life of children. All of these create a unique folk cultural activity, especially taking place during holidays and festivals.

The childhood of many generations of Vietnamese people is associated with nursery rhymes, such as "dice rolling", "dropping the turtle disc", "dragon snake up to the clouds", "hop coc", "dung dang dung de", "casting coconut trees", "tay co tay khong", "tap tam vong", "chi chi chan chan", "nu na nu nong"...

Among them, there is a nursery rhyme that in the past, every time Tet came and spring came, it was bustling with the sound of festival drums and joyful cheers, and it entered the childhood subconscious of many generations. This folk game contains beautiful cultural features imbued with traditional national values. It is the nursery rhyme game "Xuc xac xuc xe" which brings the bustling breath of Tet.

“ Dice dice
New year new batch
Which house is still awake?
Open the door for us
Step up the high steps and see the two dragons incubating.
Step down the low steps and see a pair of dragons
Step out behind to see the tiled roof house.
The elephant is still tied, the horse is still held.
He lived to be one hundred and five years old.
His wife gave birth to a healthy child .

Unfortunately, today the custom of giving lucky bamboo tubes as New Year gifts has disappeared, even in remote villages. The old nursery rhyme has come to every home during the New Year with the wish for a New Year filled with joy.

It is the children's nursery rhymes that have bonded the neighborhood with wishes for a prosperous, abundant, and happy spring. The nursery rhymes have simple rhythms, free rhymes, can be short or long depending on the nature of the game or repeated endlessly, unfolding like a vivid picture of life.

Most nursery rhymes not only train physical fitness but also provide healthy entertainment, reach a high artistic level and have high aesthetic value, stimulate children's intelligence, responsiveness, and flexible reflexes, while promoting community spirit.

These folk games are preserved in the childhood memories of many generations. Through nursery rhymes, children can also understand more about the life and lifestyle taking place in the land where they live.

Children in the past grew up innocently with meaningful folk games in the process of both playing and learning, to gradually form their personality when they grew up.

Therefore, restoring folk games in general and nursery rhymes in particular is the desire of many people. Currently, some schools in many provinces and cities have included playing folk games and singing nursery rhymes in Vietnamese folk art lessons. This formof education is very popular with children and teenagers.

Preparing to enter the new year, somewhere on the street, I can hear the melody "Xuc xac xu xe" from some street corner...

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