Tay people of Lang Chieng in new life

The morning after the rain of the beginning of winter, I had the opportunity to visit Chieng village (now residential area number 6, residential group 17 Binh Minh, Cam Duong ward). The small road leading to the residential area winds like a soft silk strip, taking me from the hustle and bustle of the city to a warm, peaceful space imbued with the soul of the countryside.

Tay ethnic women in Chieng village participate in community activities.

Time may change many things, even the name “Chieng village”, but it seems that it cannot erase the harmonious, simple and affectionate lifestyle of the Tay people here. Amidst the new pace of life, they still together preserve the old values, with pride, loyalty and faith in their ethnic traditions.

Party cell secretary Luong Kim Tuyen welcomed me with a gentle smile. Over a pot of hot tea, she told stories about this place in a low, slow voice.

Mrs. Tuyen said, in this Chieng village, people respect each other with loyalty and help each other with love. When someone builds a house, the whole neighborhood contributes; when there is a happy or sad event, everyone joins in.

Besides, in recent years, people have still organized community activities together, restored Then singing, Tinh lute and built a traditional Tay house in Chieng village.

Tay people in Chieng village join hands to build a traditional house.

I followed the Party Secretary to visit the house, which the people still affectionately call “the house of memories”. In that house, I clearly felt the familiar and warm atmosphere. On the wall hung an indigo outfit, a headscarf, in the corner of the house were a loom, a wooden cupboard and a Tinh zither...

Those seemingly ordinary objects make the space nostalgic and lively, because each object is a story, or part of a memory of ancestors.

I gently touched the smooth, worn wooden surface of the loom, hearing the sound of old threads running through time, connecting the past with the present.

Exhibition house of traditional objects of the Tay people in Chieng village.

“Nowadays, people talk a lot about preserving culture, but for us, preserving culture is not just preserving artifacts, but preserving the spirit. This traditional house does not need to be big, does not need to be beautiful, just needs to have a place for descendants to remember their roots. Each person contributed bricks, corrugated iron sheets, someone contributed labor, someone brought a đàn tính, someone left their mother's old indigo shirt... each of those hands together built not only the house, but also built the belief that the Tay people of Chieng village, no matter where they are, still remember their roots,” Ms. Tuyen said thoughtfully.

Next to the traditional house, although it was almost noon, the yard of the cultural house was still bustling with laughter. A group of women were practicing Then singing and Bamboo dancing in preparation for the upcoming Great Unity Day.

In the large yard, the sound of the đàn tính resounded, simple yet soulful. In the middle of the circle was Mrs. Ha Kim Thuan, her hair streaked with silver, her thin hands still steady on the neck of the instrument. Her voice was slow, each sentence, each word, warm, as if touching memories. Around her, both the old and the young sat together, some humming along, some tapping their feet... I saw those radiant faces and understood that this simple joy was how they were preserving their culture.

A Then singing session of the Tay people in Chieng village.

The elders teach the younger generation the techniques of singing Then and playing Tinh lute.

At the end of the song, Mrs. Thuan gently put the instrument down on the mat. She said: In Chieng village, preserving identity is always present in every daily life. Every time a festival or New Year comes, the sound of the Tinh instrument and the Then singing resounds.

I also want to teach the younger generation, sing for their children and grandchildren to remember and be proud of their nation. We have two Then singing clubs, both for activities, to maintain culture and to teach the younger generation.

Maybe tomorrow this place will be different, with taller buildings and more streets, but as long as the Tay people still sing Then and are united and love each other, the culture will live on.
Mrs. Ha Kim Thuan

Having finished speaking, Mrs. Thuan's voice rang out again, blending with the sound of the Tinh zither. I suddenly realized that, amidst the changes of life, in this place, culture is not old at all, it is still alive, spreading from one person to another, through many generations, with the love of homeland.

The culture of the Tay people in Chieng village is preserved and promoted from generation to generation.

Traditional cultural features of the Tay people in Chieng village are present in every aspect of daily life.

Amidst the new pace of life, the Tay people here still retain their soul in the small things.

Leaving Chieng village when the afternoon sun had set, the sound of the đàn tính still echoed behind, mingling with the wind and the laughter of people practicing singing. Chieng village has changed a lot today, but there is still something very old and very pure in this place.

Perhaps, what makes Chieng village special is not its appearance, but the way people here treat tradition. They still maintain their own color, not ostentatious, not noisy, just quiet but persistent, like the sound of then forever ringing.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nguoi-tay-lang-chieng-trong-nhip-song-moi-post886709.html