Ba Trao singing is a part of the Whale Worshipping Ceremony held at the fishing villages in Vietnam. Ba Trao singing with its distinctive characteristics can be separated and treated as an independent art form.
Ba Trao singing is a part of the Whale Worshipping Ceremony held at the fishing villages in Vietnam. Ba Trao singing with its distinctive characteristics can be separated and treated as an independent art form.
The fishermen in Vietnam often organized Whale Worshipping Ceremony in lunar March and April every year. The rite reflects the activities, difficulties and happy moments of the fishermen while fishing at sea. Bay Nuoc, a retired fisherman in Vinh Truong Ward (Nha Trang), said that many fishermen are interesting watching the performances of Ba Trao singing. These performances reminded him of the days when he still worked as a fisherman.
In recent years, Khanh Hoa has often added the Whale Worshipping Rite and Ba Trao singing to the program of the sea festivals. Whether being performed on stage or on street, Ba Trao singing has always captured the audience’s attention and interest. “The performances of Ba Trao singing are vividly performed and bear the typical cultural characteristics of the coastal regions,” said Luu Chi Phuong, a tourist from Hanoi. Through these performances, the audience will know more about the unique culture of fishing villages, Phuong added.
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As said by Le Van Hoa, Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports, Ba Trao singing is organized to express the gratitude of the fishermen to the Whale who is considered as a supreme deity who always helps fishermen to have safe trips and abundant crops. This rite is a long-time custom which has been passed and enriched through many generations.
Ba Trao singing is a distinctive and important part of the Whale Worshipping Ceremony, which is a unique intangible cultural heritage of Khanh Hoa. Therefore, the provincial Department of Culture and Sports proposed that the Provincial People’s Committee work out a plan to preserve, promote and connect the traditional cultural heritages with tourism activities.
According to the plan of the Provincial People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa issued in early July, Khanh Hoa Traditional Art Theatre is responsible for organizing Ba Trao singing and Tuong singing shows at the Salanganes Park every Monday and Friday. The shows are expected to start in November.
Giang Đinh
Translated by H.N
