A festival of chau van singing was held in Bac Giang earlier this month by the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. — Photo bacgiang.gov.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — A festival of chau van singing was held in Bac Giang earlier this month by the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The event was held to mark the 120th anniversary of the province.

The festival, the first of its kind, attracted hundreds of singers, artists, performers of chau van from 10 troupes in Bac Giang and five from other locations.

The highly rhythmic form of singing accompanies hau dong (trance dancing) during rituals to honour the Mother Goddess and connect to other gods as well. The festival aims to preserve, honour, and uphold the values of the artform in modern society.

It also helped chau van singers and artists learn from each other as well as formalise the meaning of this kind of art in seeking UNESCO recognition for the singing genre as part of the Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity.

"Through the festival, people learn that chau van singing is not a superstitious activity, but ancient cultural beliefs that need preserving," said Le Ngoc Tien, a singer from Bac Giang City.

Chau van is a Vietnamese form of ritual singing, dating from the Tran dynasty (1225-1400). The main musical instrument used in the genre is the dan nguyet (moon-shaped lute). — VNS