In human culture treasure of Ben Tre, there is a kind of art which has existed for a long time, to be close knit with the spiritual life of so many generations of coconut land. It has experienced many ups and downs hundred years old. There was a war period which seemed to be faded out but it revived forcefully. It is a special beauty in river culture in South and it gradually becomes a potential tourist product. There is a kind of art "Singing-sắc bùa Phú Lễ".
Intangible Cultural Heritage
Currently, there are 4 intangible cultural heritages in Ben Tre province: the job of making My Long rice paper (My Thanh commune, Giong Trom district), making Son Doc glutinous rice chupatty (Hung Nhuong , Giong Trom district), Nghinh Ong festival (Binh Dai hamlet) and "singing-sắc bùa Phú Lễ" (Ba Tri). There is not only the pride, but also the the traditional culture of local that needs to conserve and develop.
The life of Coconut land people has been close-knit with farms and rivers. From the dawn of humankind the ancestor has taught the younger generation about hardworking character. Besides, the spirit of People in Coconut land is very plentiful and they have many simple rustic folk song which are sung after hard working days to bring the happiness and show their optimism.
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| Singing " sắc bùa" in Coconut festival the fifth time, 2019 (baodongkhoi.vn) |
When we talk about "Singing-sắc bùa", people immediately think of "Singing-sắc bùa Phú Lễ", Ba Tri District, Ben Tre Province because this place is the cradle of Hát sắc bùa art in Southwest of Vietnam. "Singing-sắc bùa Phú Lễ" is a form of folk performance, collective, chorus, with accompanying instruments and clear beat. "Singing-sắc bùa" is not only congratulating on agricultural rituals associating with spiritual factors, praying for a peaceful life, good crops but also meeting the needs of people for thier entertainment in every new year
Legend has it that singing "sắc bùa" was created in the middle of the late eighteenth century, initiated by Mr. Tran Van Hau, the son-in-law of Mr. Ho Duc Quang, from Phu Le commune, Ba Tri district. Typically, a singing "sắc bùa" team must have at least 4 members and be managed by a "boss", every member of them is not only a musician but also a singer. The musical instruments of singing "sắc bùa" team will include: "rice" drum, two strings instrument and two kinds of cadence instruments; A song often has 2 parts, the first one is a ritual part to suppress the devil, brings good luck to the family and the second contributes to the joys of the family's career: farming, construction worker, etc.
In 1998, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ben Tre implemented the project " Sắc Bùa Phu Le Talent Show" under the National Target Program on the conservation and promotion of Vietnam national cultural heritage. The movement to sing "Sắc bùa" Phu Le in Ben Tre is growing and gradually forming many singing teams, creating the special characteristics in the cultural treasure of Coconut Land. On January 23, 2017, "Hát sắc bùa" was officially recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Potential tourist products
Currently, "Hát sắc bùa" is still a new art form for young people as well as tourists. However, to contribute to the promotion of the culture, the traditional beauty of daily life of the land and people in Coconut Land, and it is seem as potential tourism product.
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| Performance of "Singing- sắc bùa Phu Le" at Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism (bienphong.com.vn) |
On November 22, 2019, in the program "Journey to the South of Ben Tre Coconut Land" took place at Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism (Dong Mo - Son Tay - Hanoi), Ben Tre introduced to domestic and foreign tourists, many interesting cultural forms: the Southern folk songs, declaiming Luc Van Tien's poem, coconut cuisine and indispensable singing "sắc bùa". This act has attracted a lot of visitors by the very beautiful, strange, and strange melodies through the playful presentation of the artists in the country of Coconut.
Tourism is a close combination of Culture - Tourism or Tourism - Culture to prevent not to ruin a lasting beauty in the long-standing cultural heritage. Conversely, in order to preserve and promote intangible cultural values, it is necessary to synchronize many solutions which are integrated into tourism products as well as in the activities of developing social economy in locals.
Author: Tuong Vi
Translator: Phuong Thy
Source: https://dulich.bentre.gov.vn
