A Rieu Ping festival of the Pa Co people. Photo: Thua Thien Hue Folk Arts Association

The source of folk culture and arts has been formed and associated for a long time with the people of Thua Thien Hue. However, in the process of scientific and technical development and civilized urban lifestyle; the capital of folk culture and arts has been being changed and gradually faded away in their cultural and spiritual life.

The seminar, which was organized by the Provincial Folk Arts Association, aims to point out the difficulties and challenges in the work of preserving and promoting folk cultural features such as Hue Singing, festivals, rituals, and folk games, etc. Thereby, it aims to find out the solutions to preserve and promote, as well as bringing those folk values back closer to the community of Hue people’s life.

At the seminar, 16 presentations were presented, raising key issues in the preservation and promotion of craft villages such as Hue traditional racing boat building craft, and Hue mirror painting craft, etc.; developing folk arts, bringing Hue singing and Hue tuong into life, and the preservation of unique festivals in Thua Thien Hue such as the A Rieu Ping festival of the Pa Co people in A Luoi, and the festival of residents of the coastal lagoon of Thua Thien Hue, etc.

According to Mr. Nguyen The, researcher, Chairman of the Provincial Folk Arts Association, although somewhat lost, the deposits of cultural and folk arts in Thua Thien Hue area are still quite rich and diverse. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on restoring, preserving and promoting these cultural features so as to maintain the spiritual and cultural values left by the ancients.

By DANG TRINH