Folk art of the Quang people

The lyrical folk songs and melodies echoing on the Thu Bon River are, at their core, expressions of the character of the people of Quang Nam . Photo: HUYNH HA

Folk art is like the songs of time, the history of people and the country. The interaction of many cultural streams throughout history has left its mark, varying in intensity, on each region's folk culture.

The spirit of valuing humanity and righteousness.

During those turbulent historical times, leaving their homeland in the North and settling in a new land, the spiritual heritage that the people of Quang Nam carried with them on their journey south to establish themselves was perhaps nothing more than the songs and melodies of their old villages.

The folk songs that remain in the memories of those who come to this land, when life is hard – a struggle against nature, wild animals, and even the indigenous people – gradually transform into a unique folk art heritage of the hardworking, hand-stained laborers south of Hai Van Pass.

The gentle, honest people of Quang Nam always remind each other to live cleanly. They live with an honest attitude, deeply attached to life and people, willing to sacrifice for righteousness, but only "support the dangerous, not the prosperous," because "a thatched hut is more righteous than a high tiled mansion."

The spirit of valuing righteousness, hating betrayal, and despising evil inevitably led to an attitude of resistance against the oppression and exploitation of feudal society. And, as we know, the folk literature of the Quang region increasingly took on a fighting spirit, yearning to break free from those shackles. "We vow to be together, the earth nine, the heavens ten / For a hundred years we will not abandon our loyalty, where is the one to worry about?"

When talking about the people of Quang Nam, we often hear the comment: "Quang Nam people are argumentative." Even in daily life and interactions, the people of Quang Nam are perceived as straightforward, frank, sometimes even clumsy and stubborn.

That spirit in the people of Quang Nam might be criticized as crude: "speaking bluntly" or "speaking loudly." They are honest and loyal in their relationships with others, despising hypocrisy and petty schemes in life: "I ask you, who devised this scheme? / A sickle, a curved machete, a thick comb, a thin comb / Are you satisfied yet? / A sickle, a curved machete, a thin comb, a thick comb."

Perhaps that's why people from Quang Nam are very wary of complex psychological developments, because they are not used to "splitting hairs": "Threads and threads can be untangled / Head tangles can be combed, but heart tangles are hard to distinguish."
Therefore, these honest people remain immensely proud and confident: "Mount Ca Tang has both horizontal and vertical peaks / Ask your fellow villagers, some are bald, some are pure / How many can compare to you? / No matter how deceitful others are, you always do good and stay upright!"

"A place where gratitude and loyalty are deeply appreciated, and friends follow you closely."

In feudal society, the status of women in rural areas was like that of prisoners trapped in poverty and lacking freedom.
They were bound on the one hand by the unjust customs and laws of the Confucian feudal regime, and on the other by theocratic ideas, with the doctrine of destiny imprinted on their lives: "Pity the clam and the oyster / Enduring sun and rain, where can they crawl to?"

In a life without a bright future, women are the ones who suffer the most: "My fate is like a melon / One day, when it withers in the sun, who will look after me?"

But, amidst their sorrowful songs, there still emanates a gentle tenderness. It helps us understand that even in these kind souls, who endure so much suffering under multiple layers of oppression, lies a hidden resilience.

Through the folk songs and ballads of this land of the Thu River and Chua Mountain, we can see the perseverance, the gentle yet resolute smile of the women. It gives them wings of humanity, allowing them to fly above the painful and heartbreaking circumstances of their lives, like the cranes.

At the same time, it whispers within the song of boundless, unconditional love, imbued with the selfless nature of mothers.

It is not blind endurance due to weakness, but a selfless act of sacrificing pleasures and happiness for one's lover, husband, and children. This is the source of the almost inexhaustible strength of Vietnamese women: "Because of love for her husband, she must follow him/Carrying burdens, carrying rice, and raising children on her shoulders."

At the beginning of the 20th century, alongside the Modernization Movement, a folk song emerged that best reflected the essence of the people of Quang Nam. This song begins with two verses sung in an improvisational style, stemming from the reality that Quang Nam's land is fertile and rich in alluvial soil.

At the same time, it was a song serving patriotic movements, with a calling and unifying character, becoming a heartfelt plea: "The land of Quang Nam is soaked even before the rain falls / The Hong Dao wine intoxicates even before it is tasted / You return home, sleepless, resting your hands / Wherever there is gratitude and deep loyalty, you will follow."

The epic scale in describing socio-historical events in Quang Nam's folk literature is often combined with lyricism. From a qualitative perspective, it reflects the resilient, straightforward, argumentative yet compassionate nature of the people of Quang Nam; it embodies their aspiration towards beauty, truth, and a fulfilling, happy life.

And inevitably, it is a very natural tendency of human psychology: believing in goodness, believing in divine providence, believing in the inherent goodness of human nature.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nghe-thuat-dan-gian-cua-nguoi-quang-3139372.html