Crowds flock to love duet singing festival

Thousands of people from different regions across the country have flocked to Tien Du district in northern Bac Ninh province to attend the Lim festival which is dedicated to Quan Ho (love duet singing), part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

The annual festival, which takes place on February 11 and 12 this year, is held on Lim Hill where Lim Pagoda is located. The pagoda is dedicated to Hieu Trung Hau, who invented Quan Ho.

Besides Quan Ho singing, visitors are also entertained with folk games, including bamboo swinging, traditional wrestling, earthenware pot breaking and human chess.

Love duet singing, which was inscribed in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity list in September 2009, is an art form combining various elements, including music, lyrics, costume and a unique style of singing the reflects the close relationship between singers. Performances of love duet songs are made by “lien anh” (brothers) and “lien chi” (sisters), who are ordinary people hailing from different villages.

The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

Source: VNA