Xoan singing is also called “spring singing”, originally the word “spring” is read in an evasive manner, because the word “spring” is a taboo word (the name of a wife of King Hung), so when singing at the communal house gate, it must be read as “xoan”.
Xoan singing is found in the villages of Kim Doi, Thet, Trung and Hoi in Kim Duc commune – Phu Ninh district (now in Viet Tri city), An Thai village in Phuong Lau commune – Viet Tri city, Cao Mai village – Lam Thao district – Phu Tho province.
Singing at the communal houses of xoan guilds has become a long-standing tradition. The singers do not sing for a living but are bound by an ancient custom, which is the “patriotic” relationship between two popular villages. That is the expression of the clan community in ancient communes. Later, due to the development of social relations and many changes in population, in many places, that relationship is only expressed in terms of beliefs and culture: worshiping the same village tutelary god or visiting each other, singing and playing together on festivals… Xoan singing and the relationship between the original xoan clans and the communal houses where the xoan clans come to sing are the expression (or remnants) of the village community relationship in terms of culture and beliefs. The singers often say that they sing so that the two people can be prosperous together, that sentiment is expressed in the following verse:
“His people held a party to worship the god.
Cao Mai – An Thai two people long life”
Once a year
“The love of the unicorn and the unicorn is long lasting”
The ceremony of guarding the communal house gate of xoan villages must also show a long-standing relationship. Considering the ancient clan relationship, between the singing village and the inviting village, in a certain historical period, singing inside and outside the festival, both for entertainment purposes, has become a custom and therefore xoan troupes also have the conditions to deploy their areas of operation. Each xoan troupe usually has its own main communal house gate to sing every year, which also means that each xoan troupe has a friendship with certain villages. For example: the xoan troupe in Kim Duc usually guards the communal house gates of Phu Ninh, Duc Bac, Tay Coc; the An Thai troupe usually guards the communal house gates of Cao Mai, Duu Lau…; the xoan troupe in Thet village guards the communal house gates of Nong Trang, Kim Xa… That is why xoan singing is also called the communal house gate singing style.
Thus, the existence of Xoan singing and its manifestations in cultural activities that we still know today represent a type of ritual folk song – associated with seasonal festival customs and Thanh Hoang worship. Therefore, the issue of historical origin of a specific singing style cannot be separated from the genre characteristics and social nature of that singing style.
In the book “A Profile of Primitive Culture” by Cotsven it is said that “… Right from the primitive times there were celebrations. In the sequence of the celebrations we see music combined with dancing, the expression of rituals… and finally we see the unique performances of primitive people”.
In the classification of Phonclo, Guxep(1) mentioned the ritual and calendar songs, those songs include the conjuration of natural forces… related to farming work… expressing human emotions, wills and strong desires, the realization of these desires is related to the intervention and support of supernatural and mysterious forces. These songs are related to the worldview characteristics of people in pre-class society and the worldviews in the consciousness of the masses in class society. Thus, the greatest characteristic of the genre of ritual and customary folk songs is their connection with the farming conditions and circumstances of the people in ancient times.
For festival activities that are closely related to farming conditions in our country, “spring festivals” are the most popular. This is not a coincidence because according to natural conditions and farming practices of our country’s rice-growing residents in the past, spring is the time when the old harvest has passed, the new harvest has not yet arrived, and it is also the time when the weather is the best in a year. They often hold festivals to celebrate the harvest of the past year and pray for a bountiful harvest next year, harmony of nature, and prosperity of people and things.
For this reason, people in some areas of Phu Tho province have a way of singing in festivals called Xoan singing (spring singing). In the regions of the northern delta and midlands, there is also a way of singing in festivals like the above, that is, to worship the gods in spring, but it is called by different names: Do singing in Ha Tay, Dam singing in Nam Ha and the singing and dancing system in Dong Anh; Xuan Pha; Thanh Hoa.
Festivals of each locality are not the same, they depend on the customs of each locality and first of all depend on the festival day of the village’s tutelary gods worshiped in the village’s communal house. In some xoan songs we see mention of “Kings” and the “King” here is actually the village’s tutelary god, the divine being:
“The king came back to obey, yes banana, yes jackfruit
East to West, yes to the eye, yes to the army
The king returned to obey. Yes, all the trees needed.
South borders North borders North smells of chives
The King returned and obeyed everything. The King again obeyed and passed.
The beans of the house have long branches.
The king came back and stepped on a branch.
A stick of three for three and a half bushels…etc.”
(In the cannon)
In Xoan singing, there is a relationship with the custom of worshiping Thanh Hoang gods, not only expressed in some songs of prayer, but also expressed in folk legends that people in places where Xoan singing is practiced want to use to explain its origin.
The artisans in the Xoan guild of Phu Duc village (Kim Duc commune) said: “In the past, the three Hung King brothers went to find land and passed through Phu Duc village at noon and stopped in a forest near the village. From this forest, the mandarins looked out at the grass field in front of them and saw a group of children herding buffaloes, singing, wrestling, and tug of war. Seeing that, the Holy One immediately told those who followed them to bring the songs they knew to teach the children more. Later, every year on the 13th day of the 12th lunar month, the villagers had to make Nang cakes to offer at noon and beef in the afternoon to worship the Holy One (originally, when the Holy One passed through the village, the villagers treated them to these two dishes). On the second and third days (January of the lunar calendar), the Phu Duc people held a praying festival. During the praying festival, they reenacted the scenes of singing, tug of war, and wrestling in the field. The annual village custom of only singing and praying originated from that event.
Cao Mai village (Lam Thao district) has a legend as follows:
“King Hung’s wife had been pregnant for a long time, and the day of her birth was approaching. She kept having stomachaches but could not give birth. The servant said: There is a beautiful girl named Que Hoa, who is good at dancing, so she should be invited to dance and sing to ease the pain and help her give birth. King Hung’s wife listened and invited Que Hoa (Que Hoa is in Phong Chau citadel). Following the summons, Que Hoa came to pay her respects to the King’s wife. At that time, the King’s wife was in severe labor pains, so she told Que Hoa to stand in front of the bed and dance and sing. Que Hoa sang beautifully, her arms and legs swaying, her body as soft as silk, as supple as vermicelli, everyone was fascinated. The King’s wife was so absorbed in watching the dance and singing that she did not feel any pain, and gave birth to three handsome and handsome sons. At that time, it was spring, King Hung praised Que Hoa so much that he told the My Nuongs to learn those dances and songs, which were later called Xoan singing.”
There is also a legend explaining that: Xoan is a misreading of the word spring (because the King’s wife’s real name is Xuan). Due to the custom of avoiding taboo names, singing Spring is called singing xoan.
Such legends can be found in villages with original xoan troupes or villages that often invite xoan troupes to sing. They all aim to explain the origin and history of xoan singing.
The legends are just typical simulations and exaggerations of events, customs and imagination of the ancient people. They are not specific and accurate historical documents. But through the above legends, outside the fantastic shell and many exaggerated details, we can find a reasonable core, which is the direct relationship between the Thanh Hoang belief and a form of folk song, customs and rituals associated with it. As a result, those legends have proven to us the social and economic origin of Xoan singing: It was born and developed along with the worship of gods, praying for prosperity and good crops among the agricultural residents in this region since ancient times. At first, they were a very simple and rudimentary way of singing in festivals and ceremonies, then due to the maintenance of the worship of gods, Xoan singing also changed and developed, the repertoire in performances became increasingly rich and complex as today.
Through the above research, we can conclude that: Xoan singing is the singing of the working masses, originating from the customs and practices of agricultural residents, but when brought to the communal house, Xoan singing is brought with elements of a prayerful nature such as the drum performance, firecracker performance, poetry performance, and funeral closing. The above absolutely does not provide us with any documents or basis to determine the specific historical development milestones of Xoan singing. To understand this issue, we must analyze what can be analyzed within Xoan singing itself.
A book that records the qua cach in hat xoan, which is only a part of hat xoan later than its original period, titled “ca xoan cach” was recorded in the year “Thanh Thai tam nien” (ie 1891). That book, as a written work, its content has provided us with some documents reflecting the prosperous period of the Vietnamese feudal regime in the Later Le period – 15th century.
The affirmation of our country’s territory and borders during the Later Le Dynasty after the victory against the Ming army is mentioned as follows:
“My house is Le’s house.
Is the Bodhi River
Is Vietnam mountain
Return to the world”
(In the cannon)
The land reform policy of the Le Dynasty after the war had the effect of promoting agricultural development after the period of constant crisis at the end of the Tran Dynasty and after the long years of resistance against invaders. That development is recorded in the song:
“Four seasons of xoan cach”
In the month of spring
Le Hoang became lord
This village has good rice.
blessing”
(In the four seasons)
Thus, around the 15th century, under the Later Le Dynasty, some aspects of social reality in our country were reflected quite clearly in Xoan singing, which proves that Xoan singing has a long history. In the 15th century, this form of singing had a quite profound development, if not a turning point in the history of cultural and ideological development of our nation.
Xoan singing is the singing of working people originating from the habits, customs and folk cultural activities. At first it may have been just a simple form of worship during festivals, later it developed into a widely popular music form as it is today.
In terms of ideological content: Xoan singing reflects the morality of the King and his subjects, the love and affection between husband and wife, between children and parents. Besides the content praising the productive life, Xoan singing is also the voice of emotions, the aspirations and dreams of achieving a prosperous and happy life of the working people. Xoan singing is also a bridge for solidarity between the village and the neighborhood, reducing the boundaries between the rich and the poor in society. It is a lyrical voice towards a happy, peaceful and prosperous future of the working people.
* Organizational forms:
Singing at the village temple, before singing there is a ceremony.
+ Time: Singing in the evening from the 1st to the 5th of Tet (sometimes singing all night until morning).
+ Location: Village communal house (at the communal house gate – a place to worship gods, to worship the village’s tutelary god).
+ Number of participants: 12-16 people (1 boss, 4 actors, 6-8 actresses).
+ Props: Drum, clapper, fan and Nom script book.
+ Costume:
– The girls: Head wrapped in a turban, smooth pants, dark silk shirt, black belt, green and pink bags.
– The actors: Head wrapped in a turban, dark silk shirt, white pants, neck wrapped in a silk scarf.
– Boss: tunic, turban.
* Performance process:
Consists of two main parts: singing inside the communal house and singing outside the communal house.
– Singing in the communal house gate or also known as worship singing (ceremonial part)
– Singing outside the communal house gate, also known as festival singing, after the worship singing (festival part).
* Worship singing part (ceremony part)
Includes songs: drum teaching, firecracker teaching, incense poetry, funeral closing, 14 fruit songs.
At the beginning of the singing, the leader stands before the altar and sings a ritual prayer, read in the style of a petition. Then the actors come out to sing drums and firecrackers, followed by the actresses singing incense poems, closing the ceremony, and singing the fruit.
The performance of the qua cach is a poem composed by common Confucian scholars in Nom script consisting of 14 qua cach.
* Singing outside the communal house (festival singing)
Including songs: Flirting with girls, leaving the scene, asking for flowers and guessing words, setting flowers, singing in pairs, pounding fish (mo ca), singing competitions, singing about righteousness.
Also during the spring festival days, in some villages with ancient communal houses, after the xoan singing performance, there is also a festival. In the festival, there are many traditional folk performances that are preserved such as: lion dance, the story of Prince Lang Lieu making banh chung and banh day to offer to the King to worship heaven and earth…
“…In the past, when the 6th Hung King defeated the An invaders, the country was at peace, Hung King was old, wanted to rest, so he intended to pass the throne to one of his 24 sons. He issued an edict, immediately called on the princes to find each of the most precious gifts to offer to their ancestors, whoever’s gift showed filial piety would be given the throne. The 23 older brothers sent people all over the world to compete for mountains and delicacies. Only Lang Lieu and his wife lived with the villagers, worked hard to make a living, not knowing what was the most delicious and strange, then in a dream, a fairy told him: Anything that can nourish people is the most precious. Lang Lieu and his wife used sticky rice to make banh day and banh chung, symbolizing the round sky and square earth. Banh chung contains fatty meat and green beans. The green leaves wrapping the outside symbolized lush green plants, which also represented the protection of all living things in the world. King Hung was very pleased with the youngest son’s gift and ordered the people to choose those two types of cakes to offer to their ancestors. The first on New Year’s Day every year. The King passed the throne to him and Lang Lieu became the 7th Hung King”
Kim Duc commune today still organizes making banh chung and banh day every year in the spring to celebrate the village festival. The elders say that: In the past, when King Hung went on a tour through the village, the villagers organized making banh day and banh chung to offer to the King.
* How to organize:
Space: Lang Lieu’s rice fields, Lang Lieu’s house, the place where cakes are offered at Trung temple.
Baking time: morning
Location for pounding sticky rice cakes and wrapping square glutinous rice cakes: Communal house yard
Participants: Lang Lieu and his wife and villagers.
Number of people pounding rice cakes: 12 people take turns pounding (men and women, single).
Ingredients and tools for pounding sticky rice cake: bamboo pestle, mortar (natural stone mortar), dong leaves, green beans, sticky rice.
Number of people wrapping banh chung: 8 to 12 people (must be men and women, not married).
Ingredients and tools for making banh chung: pot, sticky rice, green beans, pork, dong leaves, string, firewood.
When the cakes were finished, the four girls carried the cakes along with Lang Lieu and his wife and the villagers and offered them at the village communal house. After the ceremony, the villagers returned to the yard to watch the lion dance performance.
The lion dance artists in Kim Duc village said: “Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter who went to collect firewood. In the middle of the forest, he encountered a very strange and ferocious looking animal. The animal jumped up and tried to eat him, but with his strength, the woodcutter used a stick (tree branch) to fight with the animal. The struggle lasted until the animal was tired and fell down. He used a knife to cut off the animal’s head and brought it back. On the way back, he met the King’s hunting party. The King was surprised and praised his talent, appointed him as a warrior and named the animal Lion. Since then, Kim Duc village has held a ceremony and lion dance on the same occasion as the annual xoan singing.”
The Xoan singing festival of Kim Duc commune, Phu Ninh district is a typical festival reflecting the traditional cultural life of the rice-growing agricultural residents. With a unique performance style, the content reflects the social, family, village relationships and the attachment to the homeland and the surrounding nature, expressing the deep humanity of the residents of Kim Duc village expressed in the Xoan singing festival every spring.
The Xoan singing festival of Kim Duc village, Kim Duc commune, Phu Ninh district (now part of Viet Tri city) is truly a festival imbued with the identity of the folk culture of the ancestral land, not only contributing to enriching the picture of folk festivals in Phu Tho but also expressing the traditional morality of drinking water, remembering the source, “eating fruit, remembering the person who planted the tree” of generations of people here. That is the important essence for the festival to last forever with time and years.
Pham Thi Thien Nga (Returning to the Festival of the Origin of the Vietnamese People – 2008)
