Awakening a love for Thai culture within the community.

Pu Luong commune, Thanh Hoa province, has become a familiar destination for many tourists today. Besides its scenic beauty, the villages of the Thai ethnic group also preserve a special "asset" that has been nurtured over many generations: their songs, dances, musical instruments, performances, and community cultural activities.

To ensure these values ​​remain present in daily life, instead of just in the memories of the elderly, passing them on to the younger generation is crucial. Based on this need, a training course on preserving and teaching traditional folk songs, dances, and music of the Thai ethnic group was organized, creating more opportunities for people to learn, practice, and pass on the cultural values ​​of their community.

At the training course, the story of cultural preservation was placed within the context of real life. Those directly involved in local arts and culture, young people participating in performing arts groups, and cultural workers at the grassroots level all focused on one question: How can Thai culture continue to be practiced, preserved, and promoted in contemporary life?

Culture is passed down.

Ms. Lo Thi Phong, from Kho Muong village, Pu Luong commune, Thanh Hoa province, started building a performing arts group when she was only 19 years old. At that age, gathering members, maintaining activities, and organizing performances was not an easy task.

Ms. Phong admitted that when she first started, she lacked experience and management and organizational skills. But what motivated her to continue the activity stemmed from a rather simple reason: if young people don't learn and practice, the cultural values ​​of the community will be difficult to continue to be passed on.

She learned to sing and dance from her elders in her family and village. Her grandparents, parents, and older relatives were important sources of knowledge that helped her access traditional melodies. Some things weren't found in books but were passed down through listening, asking, and practicing. "If you want to know, you have to ask the elders, ask your grandparents and parents, and then practice," Phong's learning method is also how traditional cultural values ​​have been preserved through generations.

From a young girl studying traditional culture, Ms. Phong gradually became a mentor for other young people. Her performing arts group includes members of her own age group, as well as students who are mobilized to participate when needed.

Notably, students in grades 10, 11, and 12 can quickly grasp the dance movements. Some can follow along simply by observing those who have performed before. According to Ms. Phong, these dances are closely associated with the lives of the Thai people, so when exposed to them in a community environment, young people are able to learn quite quickly.

This is also what training courses on cultural preservation and transmission aim for: creating more opportunities for people, especially young people, to access and practice the values ​​that belong to their communities.

For Ms. Phong, each cultural and artistic activity is an opportunity for young people to get closer to their national culture. When a student stands in the dance formation, sings a melody, or learns to play a traditional musical instrument, those movements and sounds gradually become a part of their memories that are passed on. Culture is thus transmitted through concrete experiences, from one generation to the next.

The performance of the performing arts group also shows that traditional culture is finding a new space to be present. Performances for tourists become an opportunity for members to both practice what they have learned and introduce Thai culture to visitors. According to Ms. Phong, the group can participate in about 20 performances per month, especially on weekends when there are more tourists.

The younger generation preserves the village culture.

In Kho Muong village, Ms. Luong Thi Gioi also connects the activities of the performing arts group with the developing tourism industry in the area. Ms. Gioi's group has been active for nearly 8 years with 8 members, mostly women. The formation and maintenance of the group are closely linked to the development of tourism in the locality.

When tourists visit tourist spots, resorts, and homestays in the villages and want to see traditional cultural performances, community performing arts groups become the direct force meeting that need. Each performance usually lasts about 2 hours.

For those involved in community-based tourism, income from this activity is not everything, but it demonstrates another value of culture when it becomes part of livelihood, actively preserved and promoted by the community.

According to Ms. Gioi, participating in performances helps people earn extra income while also motivating them to preserve the inherent cultural values ​​of the locality. The team usually prepares about 6 performances for a program. The melodies and dances are learned from previous generations, and are also supported and guided by local cultural, sports, and tourism officials.

During its operation, the team also made certain adjustments to suit the performance reality and the needs of tourists. However, according to Ms. Gioi, the core remains based on the traditional cultural values ​​of the community.

The performing arts team comprises members from multiple generations. Whenever reinforcements are needed, students from grades 10 to 12 are invited to join. Their youthful energy brings a fresh start; they quickly become familiar with the melodies, dance movements, and traditional musical instruments, gradually integrating into the team's overall activities. This prevents performing arts activities from being confined to a fixed group. A new generation is introduced to, learns from, and practices these skills, enabling them to continue participating in the village's cultural activities.

Culture is inseparable from life.

From the perspective of grassroots cultural management, Mr. Hoang Dao Manh, a specialist in the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Pu Luong commune , believes that the preservation of traditional culture today cannot be separated from the lives of the people and the process of tourism development.

There are approximately 71 homestays and other accommodations in Pu Luong. Tourism is developing more strongly than in previous years, especially after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the return of tourists, tourism businesses are gradually recovering. Along with this development, the traditional cultural values ​​of the Thai ethnic group are receiving more attention.

According to Mr. Hoang Dao Manh, Pu Luong commune currently has 18 officially registered performing arts groups managed by the local government. These groups are an important force in maintaining cultural activities in the community and serving tourists.

However, to ensure that conservation activities are connected and sustainable in the long term, the locality is aiming to establish and strengthen a folk culture club at the commune level. This will be a place to gather forces involved in cultural preservation, creating conditions for them to coordinate, share experiences, and jointly organize activities to teach and practice the culture.

Alongside this is the process of restoring traditional cultural values ​​that the people are preserving. The locality is coordinating with Hong Duc University and agencies of Thanh Hoa province to revive folk songs, folk dances, folk music, and some folk games that the local people still remember. The restored values ​​are then handed over to performing arts groups to continue practicing.

This is a process that requires the participation of many parties. The elderly have memories and cultural capital; professionals have research and restoration methods; grassroots cultural workers connect with the community; and performing arts groups are where these values ​​continue to be practiced.

Local authorities also invite professionals and cultural experts to teach melodies that are familiar to the community. Along with teaching, the performing arts groups also receive support in terms of musical instruments and props to help them maintain their activities.

Mr. Hoang Dao Manh particularly emphasized the role of the younger generation. As tourism develops, more and more young people have the opportunity to interact with tourists and service activities. A segment of young people are also choosing to study professions related to tourism.

In this context, traditional culture is being recognized as an integral part of contemporary life. Traditional folk songs, dances, and musical instruments are both preserved and practiced within the community, and can also become cultural experiences for tourists, creating additional resources for local tourism development.

But to achieve that, according to Mr. Manh, the crucial factor remains having successors. Therefore, the training course on preserving and transmitting intangible cultural heritage such as traditional folk songs, dances, and music of the Thai ethnic group serves as a space to connect those directly involved in cultural activities. Here, they have the opportunity to learn, exchange, and practice, while also creating conditions for the younger generation to access and receive the cultural values ​​passed down by their ancestors.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/danh-thuc-tinh-yeu-van-hoa-thai-trong-cong-dong-238261002122352423.htm