Performance of Hot Pot Poetry of the Tay People in Ha Vi, Bach Thong, Bac Kan

Money can be given as a gift by putting it in a hat or shoe for the bride to bring to her husband's house as capital. It is worth noting that when the groom's family's bearer brings the gifts out, he must also go through some challenges: placing 4 bowls of wine at the 4 corners of the box, the bearer must know how to sing the song "asking for wine at the corners of the box" (xo lau cooc hom) to be able to take them out, otherwise he will have to drink those 4 bowls of wine; when bringing the gifts out, he meets some young men who bring wine out to offer as thanks, he must sing to avoid having to drink wine.

When Pa Me leads the bride out to burn incense and worship her ancestors, grandparents, and mother, the family's relatives or those who know how to worship will make offerings to the ancestors. An elderly woman representing the family (or through Pa Me) can also congratulate and give a few words of advice in the song "Slang lua long lang" , that the bride must behave properly as a wife and daughter-in-law to make the family happy, then hold the hat for the bride, hold the shoes for the bride to walk... The ceremony takes place solemnly, sacredly, and touchingly. Accompanying the bride will be: 2 Pa Me women who have a husband and children, a happy family, speak politely, delicately, know how to handle situations, and are good at poetry, and two bridesmaids (lua dep, lua toi).

Arriving at the groom's house at the appointed auspicious time, the village official will lead the delegation into the house. The groom's family will carry out all the ritual procedures: invite Pa Me to bring the bride into the room, invite Pa Me and the bridesmaids to spread out mats, blankets, place pillows, hang curtains... then join the wine party with the groom's family. At this time, the village official, Pa Me, bridesmaids, and groomsmen from both sides can sing Tho Lau solo to congratulate relatives and family, making the party more joyful, solemn and meaningful. The bride and groom presentation ceremony (Nop Khuoi, Lua) is held when all relatives from both sides are present (the time of organization can be right after returning, after the meal or early the next day). The family representative will invite Pa Me to bring the bride to present to the ancestors, present the bride to the family and relatives and sing the song "Nop Dau" (Nop Lua). When the bride's delegation left, the groom's representative solemnly carried a tray with 4 cups of wine on which were placed 4 envelopes called the "Giao Bang Bien" ceremony . The bride and groom received it, drank a sip of wine together as a formality, and sang a congratulatory song.

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relatives (wishing them a happy new year) and giving instructions to the bride (slang lua) then left. The groom's representative brought a tray of wine and sang "sending off Pa me" - a truly beautiful ceremony, rich in humanity.

Thus, in the wedding ceremony, the hotpot poems last throughout the wedding and only end when the wedding rituals have been fully performed. Summarizing the wedding songs, we see that they can be arranged in the following basic order:

1- Songs of Stringing Strings (Khen len) 2- Songs of Keeping the Door (thu tu)

3- Songs of Spreading Mats (pjoi phuc)

4- Songs of inviting people to eat (nai pjầu), drink water, and chew betel (nai nam, mjầu) 5- Songs of presenting to ancestors (love to ancestors)

6- Songs of Ancestor Worship (Funeral)

7- Songs of Nop chua, Nop dau (nop khuoi, nop lua)

In addition, there are also some songs at the final stage of the wedding, which can be classified into a separate category: 8 - Songs of advice (slang poems). “ This is the time when the man and woman “pour out their private thoughts”. The songs at this time are truly love songs, lyrical love songs ”.[5, p.63]

Although these are available songs, memorized by heart, the groom's and bride's families cannot sing them randomly but must follow a certain order, suitable for each stage of the wedding. The number of hotpot poems at each stage is also very rich, so the use is quite flexible. Depending on each wedding, depending on the ability and requirements of the participating forces, the singer chooses the appropriate song, not only to best perform the ceremony, but also to satisfy the expectations of the attendees - the "connoisseur" audience, creating a solemn, sacred, warm and joyful atmosphere of the wedding. Because in reality, people come to the wedding not only to congratulate the family, but also to congratulate the family.

It is not only a chance to socialize and make friends, but also to enjoy the artistic talents of the village officials, Pa Me and the delegation - qualities and talents that are beyond others. "It is impossible to express the joy of the Tay people when they hear singing, the Tho Lau songs sung at the wedding... No matter how noisy the wedding is, as soon as the Tho Lau song is sung, everything becomes silent, everyone listens attentively and enthusiastically... those songs have the "salt" and "poetry" of the wedding. Any wedding without it is bland and sad". [5, p.7]

Nowadays, the weddings of the Tay people in Ha Vi, although still having their own identity, have changed, especially the singing of Tho Lau in weddings has almost disappeared. All procedures and ceremonies are agreed by both families to be carried out more simply and quickly, and because of that, the demands and challenges for the village officials and Pa Me have been greatly reduced. However, singing Tho Lau cannot fade in the hearts of those who love and are passionate about Tho Lau , once nurtured in that cultural environment, leaving them with an unforgettable regret every time the wedding season comes. Ha Van Vien, in the process of researching the culture of the Tay ethnic group in Bac Kan, commented: "Such a beautiful ceremony is from a bygone era".

1.3. Performance of hotpot poetry of the Tay people in Ha Vi, Bach Thong, Bac Kan

We know that performance is an element outside of the literary text. But in folk literature and art, performance is an element that cannot be ignored if one wants to understand correctly and deeply that literary text. Learning about the Tay people's hotpot poetry in Ha Vi, Bach Thong, Bac Kan is no exception.

Performance is a term that is quite familiar in the study of literature and art, especially in the study of literature and folklore. However, in the process of identification, researchers have come up with many different concepts of performance , typically:

Researcher Hoang Tien Tuu believes that the term folk performance can and should be understood in two different broad and narrow senses. In the broad sense , folk performance is all forms of performance (or performance) and more or less has a natural synthetic nature (or composite nature) that we have long been accustomed to calling folk literature; in the narrow sense, it only includes performance genres (such as plays, folk rituals...).[53, pp.64-67]

Nguyen Huu Thu believes: "The term performance is used to refer to the general expression and presentation of human literary and artistic creations consisting of many elements. Performance is all the ways of literary and artistic activities of a synthetic nature of mankind from the beginning to the present civilized era" [46, pp.56-58]

The Vietnamese Dictionary (edited by Hoang Phe) briefly defines performance as "Presenting folk compositions with words, sounds, and rhythms" [39, p.85]

Through studying the opinions on performance, we see that besides the points of disagreement, researchers all agree that: Performance is a form of expression, presenting folk compositions through words, sounds, movements, gestures... Accordingly, the performance of Tho Lau at the wedding of the Tay people in Ha Vi, Bach Thong, Bac Kan is agreed with the above understanding and is considered in a few basic aspects as follows:

1.3.1. Performance environment

Hotpot poetry is different from other folk songs such as Then singing, Put singing, Luon singing, and Lullaby singing in the scope of the performance environment. The performance environment of Hotpot poetry is closely linked to the time and space of the wedding .

The Ha Vi Poetry Hotpot Performance is held most often during the “wedding season” (from October to the end of December of the lunar calendar). This is the time when ethnic minorities have finished their harvest, and have abundant food, provisions, and material goods;

The time that brings people a sense of spiritual comfort, a desire for happiness as a couple, and a warm home. The specific time of the Tho Lau performance activity is the time of a wedding. The system of Tho Lau songs is performed according to the ritual order of the wedding ceremony. That is, from when the groom's delegation sets foot at the bride's gate and only ends when the wedding ceremony is fully performed.

The space for performing Tho Lau spreads over all the wedding spaces and is concentrated within the two families having the ceremony. The songs are performed along with some wedding procedures and rituals. Therefore, the stilt house with points such as: the gate, stairs, main door - with symbolic "challenges" - the guest room, especially the main room in front of the altar is decorated by the family with bright colors, with offerings, ancestral offerings, is the "stage" for performing Tho Lau . Of course, that living space always has people attending the wedding ceremony, their excitement is an important factor that greatly affects the psychology of the singer, creating a special performance environment.

1.3.2. Performing characters

Surveying and researching the poems of Ha Vi, we found that there is no clear appearance of the performing characters. Because the performing characters and the lyrical characters in the songs are identified as one.

The hotpot poems cannot be sung randomly, but must follow a certain order, so the organization of the singing is also strictly regulated and has certain standards. The performers of the hotpot poems include: the singing force on the groom's side is the village official, the bridesmaids (the bridesmaids) and the groomsmen; the singing force on the bride's side is: the bridesmaids, and the bride's girlfriends. When at the bride's house, there is also a family representative, appointed to communicate, give challenges, and lead the rituals and procedures for the groom's family to perform. The bride and groom do not participate in the singing. In the delegation of the two families, the village official (the groom's escort) and the bridesmaids (the mother's sister) are the ones who play an important role, being the highest representatives.

First, they are the ones who have the authority to handle all matters related to customs and rituals, they are the "diplomats" and at the same time, they are also the "artists" - the main "artists" performing at weddings. Therefore, to be invited to be Quan Lang, Pa Me, they must meet the main criteria: they must have a full wife (husband), many children, both boys and girls, a harmonious and warm family, have morality, good social relations, if they are people with social status, all the better; they are people who understand customs and practices, speak politely, especially have the talent to respond flexibly and of course are good at poetry, in any situation can "improvise poetry". Quan Lang and Pa Me are the prestigious people in the procession of the bride, they are the ones who "keep the fire", the "soul" of the delegation.

Thus, looking at the singing forces and composition of the two sides, we see that, in essence, the Tho Lau performance here " is a singing contest between men and women, and the appeal of that singing contest is a singing contest, a poetry contest" [5, p. 8]. Because Tho Lau songs are "diplomatic", whoever performs, their ego will blend into the lyrics of the song to express their role, mission, and express their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions as well as those of the entire delegation to everyone. At this time, the lyrical character and the performing character are all merged into one, the emotions contained in each song and singing are the voice of the heart, extremely sincere and passionate. Perhaps, the "salty" and "poetic" qualities are there?

1.3.3. Performance costumes

Like other ethnic groups, the Tay people, during Tet and holidays, especially weddings - important holidays in a person's life cycle, choose the traditional costume - indigo with simple lines and patterns that have long been the pride of the Tay people.

In the past, in the Tay weddings in Ha Vi, the bride (groom) and the entire delegation had to wear uniforms. The men wore black ao dai, black or white pants, and a hat.

turban or beret, cloth shoes. Women wear ao dai with pants or skirt, belt, scarf, all indigo. The bride wears earrings, necklace, belt with a chain, shoes or women's shoes, enhancing the beauty of the bride on the wedding day. Nowadays, along with the change in social circumstances, there has been a change towards modernity in the costumes of the bride and groom as well as the costumes of the characters performing on the wedding day. Most of the village officials wear European clothes, berets; some of the Pa Mo also wear ao dai, or ao ba ba like the Kinh people, etc. Only a few still wear traditional costumes. But no matter how they dress, their performance costumes must always be neat and luxurious.

1.3.4. Performance form

Through survey and research, we have determined that singing is a traditional performance form of some types of folk compositions, including hotpot poetry .

The performance of Tho Lau singing in the wedding of the Tay people in Ha Vi, Bach Thong, Bac Kan is expressed in three forms: antiphonal singing , solo singing and singing combined with games (played songs) . In which, the antiphonal singing is the main form, governing the entire singing - Tho Lau performance is essentially an antiphonal singing - but solo singing (singing by oneself), challenging singing (played songs) are indispensable forms, even having important meanings in creating other emotional states of the wedding.

The singing in Tho Lau is a direct conversation in poetry. Usually, the host representative will sing first to ask, invite, congratulate, etc. in a humble spirit. The guest will respond through his song lyrics to introduce, accept or refuse, express his intentions politely, skillfully and especially always praise with all his heart. The content of Tho Lau songs is mainly about the exchange of ideas. Therefore, the singer must try to respond in accordance with the other person's ideas, in accordance with the development of the stages.

of the wedding. When the host's singing ends, the guests will start singing. Just like that, until the wedding ceremony ends, the singing response becomes an exchange, a conversation, each time more and more attractive, joyful, and intimate between the two families.

Solo singing form : not mainly aimed at direct communication and conversation. This form mainly aims at expressing one's subjective thoughts, feelings and emotions to everyone in a natural, comfortable and unconstrained way: thanking the kitchen, asking to light the lamp, light incense, reporting to ancestors, bowing to relatives, instructing the bride (groom) etc. tasks that only one side can perform without depending on the other side. That is why the solo singing form makes the wedding atmosphere richer, deepening the lyrical emotions that bring people closer together.

In the Tho Lau performance, the form of Hat Thach (playing song ) is also used . The bride's family will sing to invite the groom's family into the house, wash their feet, invite them to sit... while using inanimate objects such as a chicken cage, a lamp, and paradoxical objects: that on land, using wine to wash feet, spreading mats upside down, spreading them upside down... along with it. If you don't put those songs in a specific context, you can't understand the unique meaning of those poems, and even think that the singer is crazy . Of course, the village official is an insider, understands the rules of the game, so through the animals , he can talk and confide in those animals honestly and innocently like real people. With a bit of irony and sarcasm, but this form of performance really brings a joyful and open atmosphere to the wedding.

The above forms are combined rhythmically and skillfully by the performer, expressing solemnly and sacredly but no less lively, attracting listeners every time the Tho Lau song is played. It is the product of a harmonious style between reason and emotion, between innocent poetic emotions and flexible intelligence.

The performance of "singing" also has other supporting elements such as movements, gestures, postures, facial expressions (non-verbal elements) to increase expressiveness. This

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