Current Status of Exploiting Dong Mon Ca Tru in Life and Tourism Activities

The minimum span is 3 years, so that on the anniversary of the ancestors in the following years, the examination will be re-taken. If passed, they will be admitted to the association. If not, they will have to continue training and wait for the next association. Only after being admitted as an official member, can they practice their profession and participate in the examinations for Kinh from the guild level and above. Seeing this, it is enough to know that the training and passing on of professions in Dong Mon also have many strict standards and require a lot of effort. But thanks to that, the guild here has developed strongly, contributing significantly to the passing on of professions as well as preserving many unique nuances.

In terms of songs and melodies, Dong Mon Ca Tru is not much different from other Ca Tru in the country. Ca Tru has 80 melodies. In fact, not every artist knows and can use all the melodies skillfully.

The difference probably comes mainly from the way of performance. For example, in the past, singing ca tru at the communal house gate, worshiping the gods or worshiping the gods and saints mostly consisted of singing available poems, scriptures, and stories, dancing and singing along with the rituals, such as singing to offer wine, to bid farewell to the gods, or singing to worship with drums, incense, music, singing, reciting poems, and “leaving” dances… In Dong Mon, during the singing sessions to worship the gods, according to Mr. Pham Quang Thanh, an old artisan, sometimes there were also some poems in Chinese characters, or half Nom, half Chinese, composed by local Confucian scholars, or local officials and dignitaries, praising the merits of protecting the country and saving the people of the Thanh Hoang of their village.

Or like the dances in Ca Tru, according to a survey by the Institute of Music.

- is the unit assigned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to compile a dossier on Ca Tru to submit to UNESCO, researchers have learned that (both in Han Nom books and in the artists' stories), in addition to the fact that there are no unified factors on how many types of dances there are in Ca Tru, each dance in each guild is also performed differently, with different nuances. For example, in Bac Ninh, Ca Tru at the communal house is described: The singer holds two sinhs and stands alone to sing and worship; in the communal house ceremony, many couples (actors/actresses) participate in singing and dancing; the part where the dancers do not dance is performed in the early morning by the singer; and the Bai Bong dance is usually performed at the end of a funeral... Meanwhile, Ca Tru at the communal house in Dong Mon, Hai Phong is performed in the way that after the ceremony, the singers perform.

is to go for three weeks of wine, three weeks of dancing and when dancing, face the communal house, when dancing, do not turn your back to the communal house door; the dance team sometimes has 4 people, sometimes 6 people... From the multi-dimensional information about Ca Tru dance and the small comparison above, it shows that the variation of folk dance (in each locality, each Ca Tru troupe) is an inevitable characteristic of folk art and culture. It is thanks to that variation that creates the richness, diversity and strong vitality of Ca Tru performing art.

Another unique feature of Dong Mon Ca Tru is that it has brought a very new innovation to the standard singing style of Ca Tru art. For example, the general requirement of Ca Tru for the singing of Ca Nuong is to meet the following criteria:

music.

- The singing voice must be smooth, clear, sweet and naturally sweet.

- The singing voice must be steady, round, clear and flat in the right form.

- Singing must be natural, flexible, creative, and meaningful.

love poetry

- The voice when singing high must be clear.

- With a voice that does not make mistakes in the Southern or Northern tones, Pha or nao, or Huynh, and does not make mistakes in the flat and odd tones that distort the words in the verse or the lyrics. That is the standard of singing art in general.

But in Hai Phong alone, in the early 20th century, due to the development of many professions and cultural forms, many singing and singing of A Dao were formed. Due to many exchanges and competition for customers, the "Hat khuon" style developed into the "Hat hang hoa" style, with a more flexible, sweeter, more open, freer, and more emotional singing style, also known as the amateur singing style, so the Dao Nuong singing in Hai Phong, especially the artists in Dong Mon, became famous throughout the region.

In short, the art of singing Ca Tru Dong Mon has a long history and a very unique identity. But over time, those characteristic splendors are gradually fading. How to restore one of the beauties

The tradition of the nation is indeed a difficult problem to solve with Dong Mon Ca Tru in particular and the Ca Tru art of the whole country in general.

2.3. Current status of exploiting Dong Mon Ca Tru in life and tourism activities

2.3.1. Performing Ca Tru in village festivals and celebrations

The ca tru singing troupes in Dong Mon in the past and even now perform at wedding parties, longevity celebrations, housewarmings, or when scholars come to the house to listen to singing, music, or poetry, at the invitation of the province, district, commune, or village. Ca tru is also performed at festivals, to serve the worship of the ancestors, the saints, the kings, the marquises, or the village's tutelary deities at the village communal houses, or to serve other deities, and is revered by the whole region in large temples with many visitors coming to the festival.

On the other hand, these troupes not only sing A Dao, but also master the folk songs praising the Lords or the Mother Goddesses in the Three Emperors and Four Palaces, such as Hoang Bay, Hoang Ba, Co Bo, Co Chin, Chua Lieu, Chua Thoai, with some imaginary spirituality, having the merit of governing the country and pacifying the people, or having a sacred reputation, with the content of the songs being requested, to be blessed with peace, prosperity, and longevity.

In Dong Mon today, every year on March 24 and September 24 of the lunar calendar, a festival is held in the village of Ca Tru singing to commemorate the birth and death of the founder of the profession. On the day of the festival, singers from many places come to participate in the exchange and worship singing the night before the festival. When organizing the festival, there is a procession of royal decrees. The festival's organizing committee and members are all volunteers who contribute funds for the activities.

In addition, when invited, Dong Mon Ca Tru Club is now ready to sing to serve, such as participating in worship singing at Pho Ma Temple, Nui Deo town, Thuy Nguyen district in recent years.

2.3.2. Performing Ca Tru at the artists' homes or at the singing hall

In the past, in Dong Mon, most of the villagers were singing Ca Tru. Therefore, the Ca Tru profession developed very vigorously and vigorously here. Every house had

The male musicians and the female singers, the husband plays and the wife sings, or the father plays and the daughter, daughter-in-law or grandchild sings. The talented and elegant guests often come here to listen to the female singers sing, entering any house, or wanting to enjoy whose voice sings, whose zither plays, whose clappers play, they can freely choose.

Many Dong Mon artists also opened singing and singing shops in towns or cities far away such as Hanoi, Quang Yen, Hai Phong, Kien An... Specifically, Mr. Pham Cuu Tue, a talented musician, and his wife Linh Thoa, a talented singer, went to Hanoi to open a singing shop in Kham Thien. Or in Hai Phong at the beginning of the 20th century, people also mentioned a series of singing shops in the outer wing (today's Du Hang Kenh area), the inner wing (Quan Ba Mau area, Lach Tray) or Cam Lo (Thuong Ly) all owned by people who originated from Dong Mon Ca Tru village. Even the whole of Saigon in the 40s of the 20th century was attracted by the romantic and romantic singing style of Dong Mon artists who boldly came here to explore and establish their careers.

Unfortunately, these singing houses are no longer maintained by the Dong Mon people. This is also a common trend of loss of Ca Tru throughout the country.

2.3.3. Exploitation at Ca Tru club

At Dong Mon, there is currently a Dong Mon Ca Tru Club, chaired by Mr. To Van Thiep. The club still operates regularly and performs periodically. The club continues to teach the young generation Ca Tru melodies, so that Ca Tru can always be preserved and developed. However, since the death of To Thi Che, the club's activities have somewhat declined, partly because there are no teachers, partly because of lack of operating funds. However, if any visitors still miss the old amateur space, they can go to the house of Mr. To Van Thiep, the current chair of the Dong Mon Ca Tru Club, to enjoy the music and singing. The members of the Club are always enthusiastic in meeting the requests of all types of guests and in all situations. Profit is not taken into account here, but mainly, these artists share a common passion in trying to convey the spirit of their ancestors that has been preserved for generations.

Below is a list of the Club members and their positions and roles within the Club:

STT

Full name	Year old	Job	Title, duties	Achievements
1	To Thi Linh		Farmer	Chairman Club.	Participate in teaching Ca for the younger generation of the club.
2	Tran Ba Su	71	Dong Mon Village Chief	Drum	Participate in CL performances and performances, exchanges with other Ca Tru clubs.
3	To Van Thiep	73	Head of the migration committee Dong Mon village	Poetry writing	Former head of Dong Mon Ca Tru Club.
4	To Van Tuyen	30	Graduated from High School of Culture and Arts Hai Phong	Drum + Dan day	Participate in performances and exchanges with clubs in water, art performances.
5	Pham Van Cuong	29		Drum	Participate in performances and exchanges with clubs in water, speeches turmeric.
6	To Thi Duyen	17	High School Physics Student Thuong Kiet	Singer	Silver medal at National Ca Tru Festival 2009 in Hanoi
7	Pham Thi Lien	26	Graduate Hanoi University of Culture	Singer	Was a club member before and after college
8	To Thi Huyen	17	Students of Pham Ngu Lao High School	Singer	Currently learning to sing Ca Tru and participating in performances and exchanges with other clubs. domestic.

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In addition to the regular participants in the Club, there are also some irregular members such as: Ms. Khanh, Ms. San, Mr. Trang, Mr. To Nhuong (drumming + poetry composition). They are all villagers, more or less passionate about one of the traditional arts of the nation, but due to family circumstances not allowing, they only participate when they have free time or when the club lacks performers.

2.3.4. Exploitation during tours and performances

Dong Mon Ca Tru regularly tours, performs, and exchanges with other clubs in the city and other regions nationwide to enhance learning capabilities. The club often exchanges with Hai Phong Ca Tru Club, Vietnam Folk Arts Association Club, UNESCO Club, Hanoi Club, Thai Ha Club, Hai Duong Club, etc. Dong Mon Ca Tru Club also regularly participates in competitions and festivals and has won many high awards such as:

- At the 2005 National Ca Tru Festival. This is the first time a Ca Tru Festival on a national scale has been held. The festival's organizing committee has chosen two locations, Nghi Xuan (Ha Tinh) and Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam (Hanoi) as the venues for the festival because Ca Tru has two different lines: ca tru cua dinh and ca tru cua quyen with different rituals and spaces. One place is the ca tru line of the thousand-year-old civilized city that will take place at Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam. This is an activity to restore the ca tru line of the famous capital in Kham Thien street, the ancient land of Thang Long. The space here is arranged according to the ritual of singing cu dinh, both solemn and dignified, with many art forms associated with the life of Ca Tru such as singing, poetry... Meanwhile, in Nghi Xuan (Ha Tinh), the competition of the rural ca tru line will take place. According to researchers, this locality is a cradle of Vietnamese ca tru art. In Nghi Xuan, the Organizing Committee created a folk cultural space such as antique shops, scholars writing parallel sentences, Chinese characters, and some handicraft stalls to increase the restoration value of the festival. And the two ca tru clubs of Hai Phong are the

Dong Mon Ca Tru troupe and Hai Phong Ca Tru Club under the Folk Arts Association participated in the festival in Nghi Xuan district (Ha Tinh). In her first participation, Ca Nuong Trinh Thi Ngát won the Silver Medal awarded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism .

- The 2006 National Ca Tru Festival was held in Hanoi, Trinh Thi Ngát was one of the representatives from Hai Phong City to attend.

- National Ca Tru Festival 2007 in Hai Duong.

- National Ca Tru Festival 2009 in Hanoi: Singer Nguyen Thi Duyen also won a Silver Medal.

By regularly participating in large-scale festivals organized by the state, Dong Mon Ca Tru has gradually affirmed its name among the total of 22 Ca Tru Clubs currently operating. That participation not only helps Dong Mon Ca Tru maintain the vitality of an ancient craft village, but also provides an opportunity for young artists to rub shoulders and exchange, learn from other clubs, from other localities to further hone their skills to become more sophisticated and more skillful. That is a priceless spiritual reward that no material award can replace.

In addition to participating in national Ca Tru festivals, Dong Mon Ca Tru Club also performs in many places. One of the familiar locations is the vibrant cultural space of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. Below is one of the Ca Tru art performances jointly organized by the UNESCO Ca Tru Center and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology with the participation of Dong Mon Ca Tru Club:

Ca Tru program for the first 6 months of 2008 (4th Sunday of every month)

January 13, Memorial Day for the late artist Quach Thi Ho.

February 24, Program to welcome the New Year of the Rat, with the participation of Lo Khe Ca Tru Club (Dong Anh, Hanoi).

5 Trinh Thi Ngát also won First Prize in the Hai Phong City Music and Dance Competition 2005 and First Prize in the Hai Phong City Folk Song Competition in May 2006.

March: 23, With the participation of Dong Mon Ca Tru Club (Hai Phong).

April 27, About poet Tan Da.

May: 25th, Singing, Sending letters, Lullabies, Northern anti, Ancient poetry, Now and then. June: 22nd, With the participation of Hai Duong and Hai Phong clubs.

Although it is part of a cultural exchange program, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is inherently one of the attractive tourist destinations for visitors to the capital Hanoi with two indoor exhibition areas and especially an outdoor exhibition area - where exhibitions and cultural and artistic exchanges regularly take place. The number of international visitors to the Museum is very large, so it can be seen that participating in performances like this is an opportunity for Dong Mon Ca Tru to promote its name. It is very possible that because of the love for the singing of Dong Mon artists, there will be more tourists coming to Hai Phong to learn about the original land - the place that gave birth to the players, the clappers, the sweet singing, captivating people's hearts?

- Participated in the elderly program of the Elderly Association of Thuy Duong commune in January 2010.

- Participate in Cultural Music and Dance Festival.

- Participated in the program celebrating the 62nd anniversary of National Day, 1000 years of Thang Long, "Folk art program forever with time" organized by Hai Phong Literature and Arts Association on August 28, 2010.

2.3.5. Exploitation in tourism activities

Because of its multifaceted value, in recent years, not only the local authorities of Hoa Binh commune and Thuy Nguyen district have been interested in supporting the restoration of Ca Tru singing in Dong Mon, but even the city government has joined in. Many surveys have been conducted, many researchers have come to Dong Mon to learn and hope to restore the glorious appearance of Ca Tru here. Even, in order to bring back to the art

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