Trumpet sound in Red Dao wedding

The trumpet in Dao language is called phan ty. This is one of the important musical instruments closely associated with the spiritual and cultural life of the Red Dao people. Since ancient times, the most anticipated trumpet sound has been played at weddings with the hope of bringing joy and happiness to the couple...

Mr. Hoang Nguyen Pham in Nam Cuong commune has been attached to the trumpet for many years.

Pi Le trumpet is an important musical instrument in the cultural life of the Red Dao people. The trumpet consists of 3 parts: the blowing head, the body and the horn. The blowing head is a small copper tube connected to the body of the trumpet. The body of the trumpet is a hollow cylindrical wooden tube, 30 - 40cm long, divided into 10 segments, each segment has a small round hole, forming a division between the edges. Of which, 7 segments in the middle have small holes drilled in the front, arranged at equal distances to form a vertical row.

The trumpet is the end of the trumpet, made of thin copper, bent into a truncated pyramid, about 10cm long, 12cm in diameter, the small end of the trumpet is connected to the body of the trumpet. With their creativity and ingenuity, the Red Dao people can blow the trumpet with many different melodies. Each melody expresses a different mood and meaning, such as in a wedding ceremony it will be joyful and bustling, the Cap Sac ceremony is more spiritual...

Born in 1976, at the age of 10, Hoang Nguyen Pham in Nam Cuong commune already knew how to play the trumpet and was passionate about the folk trumpet melodies. But it took more than 20 years, after working as an assistant trumpet player for his older brother, for Pham to be confident enough to accept being the main trumpet player. For more than 10 years now, he has been a famous artist, many people know him and invite him to play the trumpet in important ceremonies. He has memorized all the melodies, remembering which ceremony to play which song accurately, without a single mistake.

Mr. Pham pondered: The Pi Le flute can play many different melodies, like in a wedding ceremony, when the bride arrives, there are many songs such as: welcoming the bride's family, welcoming the bride, seeing off the bride's family... and the Pái Tòong (Worshiping the Road) part alone has three different songs: worshiping ancestors, worshiping parents, worshiping relatives - the elderly. That is the complexity of the flute songs.

Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to attend a traditional wedding ceremony of the Red Dao ethnic group will surely not forget the trumpet sounds that resounded throughout the wedding. According to the concept of many generations, if a wedding lacks the sound of trumpets, it will lose its joy. When the bustling sound is heard, everyone around will know that today is a happy day for the family and the whole village. When hearing the sound of the trumpets, everyone's heart is excited, radiant, joyful, sharing the joy with the host.

The trumpet sound is indispensable at traditional weddings of the Red Dao people.

Mr. Hoang Huu Tien, a Red Dao in Nam Cuong commune, shared: When I was a child, every time there was a wedding in the village, what I liked most was the sound of the trumpet. It was so familiar that now I can listen to the melody and guess each part of the wedding. At that time, life was still difficult, there was no wine or music like now, the sound of the trumpet symbolized joy, happiness and reunion.

Over time, every time the wedding day comes, the happy day of the Dao boys and girls, the sound of the trumpet seems to carry both spiritual meaning and pride in the national culture. In the wedding ceremony, the trumpet is used at different times, so the blowing rhythm must also correspond to the ceremony taking place. If the trumpet to welcome the bride blows with a cheerful rhythm, the trumpet to lock the bride's feet will have a familiar, melodious melody expressing the affection of the groom's family.

Throughout the wedding ceremony, trumpets will be continuously played at different ceremonies such as: the trumpet melody to welcome the bride to the groom's house; the trumpet melody when the bride and groom meet their ancestors; the trumpet melody to welcome the bride's family and the trumpet melody to send off the wedding procession at the end...

But the most special is the trumpet sound in the ancestor worship ceremony. While the bride and groom pay respect to their ancestors, thank their parents and superiors, the trumpet sound will have a slow, calm rhythm. When they raise their cups to celebrate happiness, the trumpet sound becomes bustling as if to express their wishes to the young couple. Along with the trumpet sound will be the sound of gongs and cymbals, making the atmosphere even more joyful and happy.

The sound of trumpets in weddings is a characteristic of the Red Dao people. Hopefully, these sounds will be preserved for future generations, as a wish for lasting love.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202510/tieng-ken-trong-dam-cuoi-cua-nguoi-dao-do-a040f9f/