Echoes of a thousand years of history
When hearing about Xuan Pha performance for the first time, many people may find this name confusing. “Play” is a folk term, referring to unique folk dances with a plot, telling ancient stories. The “performance” element is gestures and actions to express emotions.
According to artisan Bui Van Hung - Head of Xuan Pha Traditional Art Troupe, Xuan Pha villagers believe that this ancient performance dates back to around the 9th - 10th century, associated with the story of the village's tutelary god helping King Dinh Tien Hoang (Dinh Bo Linh) defeat the 12 warlords.
According to legend, when marching into Ai Chau, Dinh Bo Linh sent an envoy to recruit soldiers and talented people. When the envoy reached the Chu River, a storm suddenly arose. The envoy had to rest at the communal house of Xuan Pha village. That night, the village guardian spirit of Xuan Pha village appeared in a dream to the envoy, telling him how to deploy troops to fight the enemy. The next day, the envoy returned to report to Dinh Bo Linh.
Dinh Bo Linh followed the plan and successively subdued the warlords, unified the country, and ascended the throne as Emperor Dinh Tien Hoang. To show his gratitude, the king conferred the title of Dai Hai Long Vuong on the village tutelary god of Xuan Pha village and rewarded the villagers with five dances to present to the fifth tutelary god during the festival.
The Xuan Pha performance combines the art of royal dance and folk dance. The performance recreates the scene of five ancient countries (China, Holland, Tu Huan, Champa, Ai Lao) bringing gifts and their unique dance and singing performances to congratulate the ancient Vietnamese Emperor. Each dance has its own meaning, with the actors being farmers who usually carry sickles and hoes, but on festival days, they dress up in costumes, clappers and oars as props.
The first is the Hoa Lang play, which represents the scene of the Korean people paying tribute, with the characters of grandfather, grandson, grandmother and ten soldiers (guards). The costumes of this play include ao dai, high cowhide hat, left hand holding a fan, right hand holding an oar, wearing a white painted cowhide mask, eyes decorated with peacock feathers. The Lord's hat is carved with a dragon, the Soldier's hat is carved with a moon. Colorful costumes, eye-catching patterns, mascots symbolizing the ranks of feudal officials... are details that show the royal court element in this play.
The Tu Huan play reenacts the scene of the Tho Hon Nhung (Mongolian) paying tribute. In this play, the artists wear bamboo hats and wooden masks depicting their grandmother, mother and 10 children. The bamboo hats are woven like upside-down pot baskets, with bamboo strips for silver hair, and are worn on red square scarves. The wooden masks are painted white with black eyes and mouths. The 10 children in this play are divided into 5 pairs, with 1-2, up to 5 teeth painted on their faces, corresponding to their ages from young to old.
The Ai Lao troupe symbolizes the Thai-Lao tribute, including the Lao Lord, his servants, ten soldiers, elephants and tigers dancing to the sound of bamboo flutes. The Lao Lord wears a dragonfly-winged hat and a blue indigo shirt. The soldiers wear banyan-root hats, wrap bamboo flutes around their shoulders, wear leggings and hold bamboo flutes in their hands.
The play "Wu Guo" symbolizes the Wu-Yue (Chinese) tribute, with two fairies, a lord and ten soldiers wearing military hats, blue shirts, and holding oars. At the beginning of the act, characters in the roles of medicine sellers, candy sellers, and geomancers dance before the fairies, lords, and soldiers enter. The performance includes fan dances, scarf dances, and oar dances.
The Champa game symbolizes the Champa people paying tribute. In this game, besides the Lord and the army, there is also a phoenix. The Lord's shirt is made of beans, the army's shirt is made of silk, dyed a solid red-pink color, and their heads are wrapped in a red square turban forming two vertical horns.
Passing the torch to the younger generation
Through a history of formation and development of thousands of years, Xuan Pha play with royal elements has been popularized, becoming a unique cultural heritage of Thanh Hoa. Through many ups and downs throughout 1,000 years of history, there was a long period of oblivion, Xuan Pha play has been gradually restored and perfected with dances, costumes, props...
Meritorious Artisan Bui Van Hung, who has over 40 years of experience in preserving and promoting the value of Xuan Pha performances, said that currently about 22 artists are contributing to preserving the ancient dance. In Xuan Pha, there is 1 People's Artist and 15 Meritorious Artisans. Mr. Do Dinh Ta, who is over 90 years old, has been awarded the title of People's Artist.
Ms. Do Thi Hao, born in 1957, wife of artist Bui Van Hung, said that she was one of the first 15 people to participate in the process of restoring the troupe in the 1990s. The elders in the village taught it to the next generation. Gradually, when the dances were perfected, the troupe performed in many places across the country. Up to now, the troupe has had the next generation of people from the 8X - 9X generation... and aims to teach the younger generation.
Heritage preservation and teaching are very rich through events, festivals, and classes. Every year from the 10th to the 12th of the second lunar month, villagers will perform Xuan Pha at the Xuan Pha Temple relic, Xuan Truong commune, Tho Xuan district. Artists perform and teach to people of all ages in residential areas. Around October and November every year, the performance will be taught to students through events at primary schools, secondary schools, and teaching classes.
“We try to teach the younger generations so that they understand the traditions and values of these dances, and arouse their pride in their homeland. With the participation of local authorities, the community and the younger generation, the Xuan Pha performance is not only preserved but also strongly promotes traditional values,” said artist Bui Van Hung.
Mr. Do Ngoc Tung (village 2, Xuan Truong commune), an actor in the troupe, said that he has been a member of the dance team since he was 20 years old, nearly 15 years now. For the next generation like Mr. Tung, being a member of the dance team is an honor. "As a son of Xuan Truong, you must know Xuan Pha dance," Mr. Tung affirmed.
Nowadays, the Xuan Pha performance has reached out to the world. Some people in France sent Xuan Pha artists pictures of this performance from 1936 in the ancient capital of Hue, which are displayed in a museum in France. The precious pictures help the artists have more reference materials to incorporate ancient patterns into the performance costumes. Some Korean researchers have expressed their desire to visit Xuan Pha to learn about this unique folk performance.
