Cultural connection, connecting Vietnamese and international communities

VHO - Tug of war rituals and games are increasingly receiving more attention from the community, the number of people practicing the heritage is increasing, and exchange activities are becoming more and more exciting. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of UNESCO's recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, experiences in preserving and protecting the tug of war heritage have been shared and spread.

On the afternoon of January 15, at the headquarters of the People's Committee of Long Bien Ward, the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, the People's Committee of Long Bien Ward and related units to organize the international workshop "A decade of protecting and promoting Tug of War rituals and games".

Delegates chairing the workshop

"Tug of War rituals and games" is a ceremonial cultural practice, created and practiced in many parts of the world , especially in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.

Tug of war usually takes place in spring, the beginning of a new farming cycle, to express the wishes for favorable weather and bountiful crops of the agricultural community.

Along with the similarities, depending on the climate and environment, the practice forms of "Tug of War rituals and games" in each place have their own unique characteristics, showing their own uniqueness and creativity.

In Vietnam, "Rituals and Games and Tug of War" is mainly concentrated in Vietnamese communities in the Red River Delta, North Central Coast, and northern mountainous ethnic minorities such as Tay, Thai, Giay... with many types of tug of war ropes such as rattan, forest rope or bamboo and diverse forms depending on the region and ethnicity.

In December 2015, "Tug of War Rituals and Games" in Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea and the Philippines were officially inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Delegates attending the workshop

After 10 years of registration, "Tug of War Rituals and Games" in Vietnam are being protected and promoted relatively well by heritage practicing communities; the number of heritage practitioners is increasing, teaching to the next generations is carried out regularly, and domestic and international exchange and performance activities are also actively carried out by the community and local authorities.

Notably, in addition to the Tug of War communities participating in the UNESCO registration dossier in 2015, Vietnam also discovered four more communities practicing Tug of War heritage, including Ngai Khe mine Tug of War (Chieu My commune, Hanoi city); Hoa Loan Tug of War (Vi Thanh commune, Phu Tho province); Phu Hao Tug of War (Vi Khe ward, Ninh Binh province); Tra Doai village pit rope tug of war (Kien Xuong commune, Hung Yen province).

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Anh Mai affirmed: "The connection between tug-of-war communities of countries in the region has opened up a space for cultural exchange.

The solidarity and unanimity of authorities at all levels and the effective cooperation between countries in the region in protecting heritage values ​​and building the Tug of War community have affirmed the role of culture in building solidarity among nations.

Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly - Vice President of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association shared impressive achievements in protecting and promoting Vietnam's Tug of War heritage over the past 10 years.

According to Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, over the past 10 years, the Vietnamese Tug of War heritage community has grown and developed, spreading its values, brands and positive meanings in life.

Conference scene

The Sitting Tug of War community in Thach Ban, Long Bien, Hanoi has truly become the center of successful connection of domestic and international tug of war communities with the direction and active support of local authorities, Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association and Center for Research and Promotion of Cultural Heritage Values ​​(CCH).

The establishment of the Vietnam Tug of War Heritage Community Network Club is a typical example of the connection and sustainability of Vietnamese Tug of War.

The network reflects the spirit of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is to promote respect for cultural diversity, enhance dialogue between communities and safeguard intangible cultural heritage as a foundation for peace and sustainable development.

Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly affirmed that the 2024 amended Law on Cultural Heritage opens up many new opportunities for protecting Tug of War heritage.

Communities can continue to inventory and discover more Tug of War communities that meet heritage criteria to compile dossiers to include in national catalogues and lists, and proceed to propose to add them to the representative intangible cultural heritage dossier of humanity to be inscribed in 2015.

Sitting tug of war - unique heritage in Long Bien, Hanoi

At the international conference “A decade of protecting and promoting Tug of War rituals and games”, experts in the field of cultural heritage, representatives of Tug of War communities in Korea, Cambodia and representatives of Tug of War communities in provinces and cities of Vietnam discussed issues such as:

The role of the community in protecting and promoting heritage values; policies to facilitate the community in protecting and promoting heritage values; current challenges in protecting heritage values; identifying heritage values; cooperation between Tug of War communities...

Delegates also shared experiences in protecting and promoting the value of Tug of War in localities.

On November 16, Tug of War communities at home and abroad will perform Tug of War in Long Bien ward, Hanoi.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/nhip-noi-van-hoa-gan-ket-cong-dong-viet-nam-va-quoc-te-181698.html