Sports & Entertainment
Practices of Then recognised asIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
  • | dtinews.vn, Nhan Dan | December 13, 2019 06:36 PM
Practices of Then singing by some ethnic groups including the Tay, Nung, Thai has been named in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity.

A Then Master in a ceremony

The recognition was made during the 14th session of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Bogota, Colombia, on December 12 (local time). 

Then is an essential ritual practice in the spiritual life of the ethnic groups in some northern mountainous provinces such as Cao Bang, Back Kan, Ha Giang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh ,Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Dien Bien, and Lai Chau.

Then ceremonies describe a journey in which the Master controls ghost soldiers travelling from earth to heaven to present items of worship and prayers for peace, prosperity, good crops, and health, etc.

During the practice, the Then Master sings and plays a ‘tinh’ lute, wearing ceremonial dress. Then is always transmitted orally while the rituals are conducted, reflecting its succession across the generations.

UNESCO’s recognition to the practices of Then has reaffirmed the cultural diversity of ethnic groups in Vietnam, and encouraged dialogues between individuals, community and nations towards tolerance, love and humanity.

The 14th annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is taking take place from December 9 to 14 in the Colombian capital of Bogotá.

During the session, the Committee inscribed seven elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and 31 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Committee also selected the Land of Legends programme, proposed by Sweden, for inclusion in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, which allows States and communities to share safeguarding experiences that can serve as a source of inspiration for others.

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