Honoring and spreading the value of Then heritage

On the afternoon of August 31, in Thai Nguyen province, the Museum of Cultures of Vietnam's Ethnic Groups in collaboration with the Viet Bac College of Culture and Arts; the Service Center of Binh Lieu commune, Quang Ninh province; and the Vietnam Elite Association from the French Republic organized the art program "Sac Then Viet Bac". The event was attended by many artisans, artists, researchers and a large public who love Then heritage.

Then singing artists of Thai Nguyen province at the program.

Then is a unique folk performance of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups, converging profound spiritual, artistic, and humanistic values. In 2019, the practice of Then ritual was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming the pride of Vietnam and affirming the strong vitality of the heritage in the world's cultural treasure.

The program “Sac Then Viet Bac” consists of two main parts: a thematic talk show and an art performance. The talk show brought to the audience genuine stories and many profound perspectives with three topics: “Artisan Confessions”, “Growing up from the village and becoming a Then singing artist”, “Then - a cool stream flowing forever”. This is an opportunity for the audience to listen to the voices of leading researchers, artists and artisans such as: Associate Professor Dr. Pham Thi Phuong Thai, Master Ly Thi Chien, People's Artist Trieu Thuy Tien, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Tho, People's Artisan Hoang Bich Hong, Artist Xuan Bach, Dr. Hoang Thi Hong Ha...

Artist Ma Dinh Ngoc, member of the Then singing club of Thai Nguyen province, performs the "Loan en ngo can" Then ritual of the Tay ethnic group in Thai Nguyen province.

In particular, the highlight of the program is the art performance including excerpts of Then rituals performed directly by typical artists, bringing the sacredness, depth and authenticity of the traditional Then space. In this content, the audience experienced Then practices associated with the life cycle of the Tay and Nung people such as the full-month ceremony for children, the longevity celebration for the elderly and especially the ceremony to welcome the general in the great Then cap sac ceremony of the Nung people, Lang Son province... The program also had the participation of artists practicing the mo ritual of the Nung people in Lang Son, contributing to enriching the cultural picture of the Viet Bac region.

“Sac Then Viet Bac” is not only an artistic activity, but also an opportunity to honor and spread the value of Then heritage - a “cool stream” in the Vietnamese soul, contributing to nurturing the national cultural identity, while promoting the image of Vietnam to international friends./.

Source: https://dantocmiennui.baotintuc.vn/ton-vinh-lan-toa-gia-tri-cua-di-san-then-post361391.html