Xoan singing or , Chữ Nôm: ) is a genre of Vietnamese folk music performed in spring during the first two months of the Tết Nguyên Đán in Phú Thọ Province.Ellen Koskoff, ed. (2008). The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Volume 2, p.1307. . and Terry E. Miller, Sean Williams, eds. (2008). The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music, p.265. . The genre includes acting, ceremony, chant, dancing, drumming, and singing; with themes involve romance, riddles, and work. Traditionally occurring in temples, shrines, and communal homes, the songs are performed by a guild, led by a , consisting of male instrumentalists, or , and female singers, or .Intangible Cultural Heritage: "Xoan singing of Phú Thọ Province, Viet Nam", UNESCO.org. A guild consists of ten to fifteen performers, but there are few remaining, increasingly aging, guilds and teachers of this primarily oral tradition.
There are three types of xoan singing: honoring Hùng kings and Thành hoàng (village guardian gods); wishing for good crops, health, and luck; and festive courtship songs alternating male and female voices. The texture is "spare"; perfect fourths are prominent; and instruments include drums and clappers.
is singing or acting and derives from ('spring'). In 2011, UNESCO inscribed in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. In 2017, UNESCO removed from that list and included it in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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External links
Media services: "Viet Nam: Xoan singing of Phú Thọ Province", UNESCO.org. "Xoan Singing", Vietnam-Culture.com. "Xoan singing in Phu Tho Province", VietnamTourism.com. "", ThanhNienNews.com.