Beautiful Vietnam
Numerous visitors flock to love duet singing festival
  • | VNA | March 03, 2015 08:04 PM
Thousands of people from different localities across Vietnam have flocked to Tien Du district in northern Bac Ninh province to attend the Lim festival which is dedicated to Quan Ho (love duet singing), part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.
Love duet singers perform on boat. (Photo: VNA)
    The annual festival, which takes place on the 12th and 13th days of the Lunar New Year, which fell on March 2-3, is held on Lim Hill where Lim Pagoda is located. The pagoda is dedicated to Hieu Trung Hau, who invented Quan Ho.

    According to the story told by local residents, Hieu Trung Hau , who lived in 18th century, was born in Noi Due Village and made many great merits for his hometown. He was also the person who founded Lim Festival, which was originally Commune Festival held yearly in the eighth lunar month. Therefore, incense-offering liturgy expresses gratitude and respect of the locals to him, and is also an occasion to remember the origin of Lim Festival as well.

    Besides Quan Ho singing , Lim Festival is also space for various folk games such as bamboo swinging, traditional wrestling, earthenware pot breaking and human chess.

    Love duet singing, which was inscribed in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity list in September 2009, is an art form combining various elements, including music, lyrics, costume and a unique style of singing the reflects the close relationship between singers. Performances of love duet songs are made by “lien anh” (brothers) and “lien chi” (sisters), who are ordinary people hailing from different villages.

    The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

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