“My
friend, please stay here, do not return home. When doing so, you make me weep
silently. The two flaps of my dress will be soaked with tears...” are they so
beautiful words of a popular Quan Ho song named “Goodbye” (or “Gia ban” in
Vietnamese), that makes our supposed upcoming pilgrimage to the Lim Festival so
meaningful.
Lim festival day
Should
you have interest in Vietnamese culture and festivals, you would rather follow
us in this following supposed pilgrimage to the Lim Festival. It is the one
thing in Lim Town, Tien Du District, Bac Ninh Province where thousands of
visitors go on a pilgrimage to this festival to be held at the beginning of
Spring. Annually taking place from 13th to 15th of the first lunar month, the
Lim Festival is among the most impressive festivals, ceremonies and singing in
Former Kinh Bac, which now account for a majority of villages in Bac Ninh
Province.
The distinguished features
The
most typical Lim Festival feature is Quan Ho singing, a special folk song,
which includes betel offering, hailing ferry and others. Stretching back over
500 years and recently recognized by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible
heritage, Quan ho is a living historical record of the daily life of Vietnamese
people. The beautiful lyrics are of profound meanings, and incline leading up
the pagoda on Lim hill, where Lim Pagoda is located. Lim Pagoda - the place
worshipping Mr. Hieu Trung Hau, who invented Quan Ho, is very large and airy with
a lot of eucalyptus and couch trees. Like other religious festivals, the Lim
Festival goes through all the ritual stages, from the procession to the
worshipping ceremony, and includes other activities. The atmosphere is filled
with the stream of music and poems, which stimulate people’s feelings. Colorful
clothes, conical hats, brassieres and handkerchiefs show the vitality of the
spring, human and their surroundings.
Which activities take place in the
Lim Festival?
Different
from song exchanges in other places, the Quan Ho folk song festival is very
well-organized. Visitors from everywhere come to
Hat doi' in Quan ho
Enjoy
the festival and see the performances of "lien anh" (male singers)
and "lien chi" (female singers). These singers are normal farmers of
the village and others in daily life, but surprisingly turn out to be the
nation's most skilled Quan Ho artists on the special occasion of Lim festival. Their
singing performances are consisted of different types of songs, and have
ranging stages: in the pagodas’ yard, the communal house’ yard, on the hills,
even on boats gently rowed along the river, or elsewhere.
The
singers are mostly categorized into two groups, which are called brothers and
sisters groups. They dress in their best and distinctive style: men wearing
long dress and holding umbrellas, and women, elegant four-flapped dresses with colorful
belts, which is their discreet manner, and traditional large flat hats. They
have a unique way of approaching one another in the form of songs.
At
the beginning of the performance, crowds gather around the singers, and are
eager to follow the deft catchy melodies, and savor the humorous, yet often
heartfelt lyrics. When each group performs, the audiences listen attentively,
while indulging in the traditional chewy festival food of An Trau- areca, lime,
rose-petal and betel once used to color teeth and wear away daily troubles.
Quan ho is typified by alternate verses sung by different singers, either in
pairs or in groups. The two most popular types of Quan ho are hat doi’
(call-and-response singing) and hat doi (duet singing) groups, which originate
hundreds of years ago, with some of the earliest songs dating back as far as
the fifteenth century. According to some scholars, they even began under the Ly
dynasty (1009-1225), when men and women from neighbored villages in Bac Ninh
province began to sing alternate verses to each other.
Betel making
In
terms of content, the Quan Ho song exchange is multifaceted, involving
analogies, questions and replies and quizzes on a myriad of subjects. One of
the characteristics of Quan ho that remains throughout the time is the proper
verbal and poetic introduction to every tune. Quan ho singers are not only
appreciated for their singing ability, but also for their skill in leaving an
impression of their gracefulness and literary adeptness on the audience. As a
rule, all messages must be in songs with occasionally some explanations to further
elucidate the ideas. During lunch, the host singers must provide company to
their partners, offer them food and, again, songs. In the afternoon, the
visiting singers are requested to continue the song exchange up to midnight
when there would be recess and a tea party. Thereafter, the song exchange goes
on until dawn, when guests and hosts and hostesses, again in the form of songs,
bid farewell and express keen hope to meet again sometime in the future.
In
addition to Quan Ho folk song performances, village festivals also involves
many other traditional games and entertainments, contests, fairs and cultural
activities, such as human chess, water puppetry, lion dances, swinging,
wrestling, cock-fighting and more. It is also a traditional opportunity for young
men and women to seek life partners. Young men and women who want to find their
partners often come up hill to sing. There men hold umbrellas while women are
wearing flat palm hats, without concern about the sun or rain. Sometimes they
can even sing all night to show their love, ebullient passion and grace.
Besides, visitors can come to the Lim Festival to enjoy the weaving competition
of the Noi Due girls. They weave and sing Quan Ho songs at the same time.
Being
a special cultural activity in the North, with the Quan Ho folk song
performances and variety of activities, the Lim Festival really impresses
visitors. The Festival has become a part of the national culture and a typical
folk song festival that is well-loved not only in Bac Ninh Province, but in the
Red River Delta region as well.
This
article written by Lanh Nguyen from Vietnam Vacation
For
original article, please visit:
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