CHAU VAN SINGING RECONIZED AS INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

Chau van (or frequently called trau van) is a religious form of art which combines singing and dancing and used for extolling the merits of beneficent deities or national heroes. Its music and poetry are mingled with a variety of rhythms, pauses, tempos, stresses and pitches.It is in essence a cantillation where the tunes and rhythm depend on the contents of the sung text and may be linked together into a suite, used in relation to a mythical happening, with hints at some features of modern life.

Chau van singing combines trance singing and dancing, a religious form of art used for extolling the merits of beneficent deities or deified national heroes. Its music and poetry are mingled with a variety of rhythms, pauses, tempos, stresses and pitches.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Culture, Nam Dinh Province owns 287 vestiges relating to the Mother Goddesses religion, with 470 people participating in the rituals: 246 mediums, 245 cung van (chau van singers) and 162 musical instrumentalists.

Once approved by the Prime Minister, it will be submitted to UNESCO tobe recognised as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Humanity.Chau van is a kind of spiritual singing accompanying the hau dong(mediumship) ritual of the Mother Goddesses religion. It's popularthroughout the country, but Nam Dinh Province is considered its birthplace.

Chau Van singing has acquired over centuries both quintessence and folksy characteristics and proven to be a strong attraction to musicologists at home and abroad! Listening to Chau Van singing means further touching to one unique feature ofVietnamese culture.

(Source: Cinet)