The tiny farming community of Diem springs to life every year with a festival that dates back centuries. Cam Giang and Thanh Nga take a step back in time.
The prospect of travelling by car along the rough rural roads outside Ha Noi is not one that most people relish. Throw in the constant drizzle of spring, and most city-dwellers shrink away from venturing into the countryside.
But we are determined not to let those barriers keep us away from Bac Ninh’s Diem Village, where a renowned festival was about to start.
After three hours on the road, we arrive at our destination in the early morning, our tiredness almost forgotten. As soon as we exit the car, the cool breeze of the countryside blankets us while the singing of a chorus is audible from afar.
Diem Village appears ahead, bathed in a jubilant atmosphere. Vibrant flags hang from tree branches, charming quan ho (love duets) echo throughout the streets and a decorated dragon boat floats silently in front of us.
Keeping pace with the lines of people coming from different directions, we approach a large grass field; the atmosphere is becoming more hectic. This is the centre of Diem Village, where quan ho, one of Viet Nam’s most intriguing pieces of folklore, were born.
Gateway to the past: During the festival, singers belt out traditional love songs known as quan ho, including this ballad being performed on a dragon boat. The event draws locals and tourists, who often request the singers to perform their favourite tunes. — VNS Photos Truong Vi"Today is the gathering of hundred love-duets singers from across Bac Ninh Province. They come from at least a dozen villages where the singing art is preserved," says Le Danh Khiem, our guide and local quan ho researcher. "Today, local people and tourists will not only listen to their favourite songs but also join in the most important event of the festival, the Vua Ba procession," he explains.
Legend says that Diem Village was established by Vua Ba, a princess of King Hung, the first monarch of Viet Nam. One day, when Vua Ba and her eight maidens stepped outside their palace, a strong wind swept them away to another land, Diem Village. Vua Ba settled here and taught the locals about farming and singing, including quan ho. From February 6 to 8, on the lunar calendar, Diem holds a festival to celebrate the birth of Vua Ba.
The Vua Ba procession starts in mid-morning. Parents and children gather for traditional games like human chess and darts at venues scattered across the village.
From afar, we see lien anh and lien chi (male and female singers) on stage in traditional long dresses) and turbans. About hundreds of people stationed offstage, clad in colourful clothes, start moving forward.
This is the first time any of us had ever seen a procession this huge in a such small village.
The marchers were all ages; there are old men in the blue long robes of mandarins, old women in the white long dresses of maidens, young girls in four-panel traditional robes, young men in orderly costumes and school children covered in traditional makeup. Each group follows in near-perfect order, creating an endless line covering the length of the village’s main road.
We stand for at least 10 minutes before Vua Ba, the most important character of the event, appears. All eyes are drawn to her sparkling gold overcoat. She holds a large folding fan in one hand and shoots smiles at children on the roadside.
"Vua Ba is selected carefully every year," says one local man. "If you are curious to know more, just wait until the procession stops at Vua Ba Temple."
Face to face: Two lien chi (traditional singers) perform quan ho on stage, while locals off stage prepare for the Vua Ba procession during the festival’s opening ceremony.The procession winds around the village before stopping at the Diem communal house, it’s big gate decorated with colourful flowers and a pair of wooden statues. The figures wear dresses without shirts, have swollen stomachs, high cheekbones, large mouths and humorously thin lips. Dozens of people are bowing in front of the statuettes.
"This is a magical communal house, where you can turn any wish into reality. I had to wake up early this morning and prepare a tray full of fruits before bringing it here," says Vuong Thi Chung, a visitor from the nearby village of Biu.
Chung is not the only pilgrim in the communal house, which was built in 1692. The three-chamber shrine is full of people, most from other provinces. Native sons and daughters return every festival to wish for luck and health.
The procession’s next stop is Gieng Temple, where many people are gathered around a large well in the middle of the temple grounds. The water in the well is a strange pale blue and its surface is covered in paper money. A tall man is standing near the well, using a racket to fish the notes out of the water.
"Many people come here and drop their money into the well because it is said that there are seven fish genies living here," says Le Thi Anh Mai, who is visiting the temple with her German husband.
"It has been 10 years since I left Viet Nam," she says. "This festival is a moving experience. I like to listen to familiar quan ho melodies again, and, at the same time, mingle with the local people. This festival is wonderful."
The long march: Hundreds of villagers join the Vua Ba procession,which covers the length of the village’s main road.
Winding road ends
The procession finishes at Vua Ba Temple, where we narrowly miss a chance to talk with the shrine’s namesake.
"She has come home to prepare for a singing performance on water," says Mai Thi Ha, part of the festival’s organising board. But Ha gives us the inside scoop on what festival officials look for in a Vua Ba.
"Previously, only virgin and beautiful girls were selected to play the role. However, things have changed with time. Now, we select Vua Ba on not only her appearance, but also her talent and virtue. Also, age is no longer a concern. Our Vua Ba this year is nearly forty, but she looks very young. Also, she is our village’s best quan ho singer, and won the top prize in the province’s recent contest."
The long march: Hundreds of villagers join the Vua Ba procession,which covers the length of the village’s main road.As we stand there, were hear singers inviting people to gather at the nha chua. The word, which can mean brothel, surprises us. Khiem, the researcher, quickly clears things up, telling us that here it means a place where quan ho artists practise and host singers from other villages.
"Each group has their own nha chua. There are ten groups of quan ho artists in Diem Village," Khiem explains.
We follow our guide to the gathering place and meet singer Nguyen Thi Luyen, whose striking beauty belies her age.
"I am 42 years old and have two children. I am a farmer but when the village has this festival, I become a quan ho girl."
We are invited into the guesthouse by the guild’s 84-year-old host, Gianh, who comes from six generations of quan ho singers.
The house is an old, spacious house. The singers, young and old, local and foreign, gather in the middle of the three-room building clad in traditional clothing. We are regaled with sweet folk melodies about nature, the satisfaction of hard work and love.
The out-of-towners begin. "The bridge over the Ngan River was made by workers from my village. Now Brother Second borrows the bridge to bring his bride home. I wish happiness to your ancestors. I wish happiness to you, the perfect couple."
The hosts reply. "We’ve had this plan for a long time. Sister Second, let’s find a lucky day for the groom to meet the bride and bring her home. Our ancestral ceremony will be organised in the house, and the nuptial rite will take place outside the yard. First, we wish a happy wedding. Second we wish gladness to your parents. Third, we wish good weather."
Also in the parlour we meet Nguyen Thi Nhi, who at 86 is still singing. She is one of six people in the province destinated by the United Nations’ Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a living treasure.
Healthy and agile, she has a library of 400 quan ho songs – many centuries old – in her head.
"We used to sing all night in the yard of our communal house, our homes, even on a boat or under the banyan trees," she says.
Nhi shies away from the stage now, but plays an important role in passing on quan ho to younger generations.
Nhi says sources of traditional quan ho are disappearing – most of the singers are now in their 70’s and 80’s. But modern versions of the music are becoming popular and have the added benefit of being easier to sing.
Nhi recalls the hardships she went through when she first began vocal training in preparation for quan ho. Lessons normally began when pupils were between 15 and 17. They had to reach 20, at least, before they became lien chi, and were allowed to travel to other villages to sing and compete.
The rhythm of quan ho holds us through the night and into the next morning.
Festival organiser Nguyen Duc Lien says the province will try to develop the event into a tourist attraction that traditionalists hope will preserve this art and introduce it to new audiences at home and abroad.
by Cam Giang and Thanh Nga— VNS
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