Preserving the spirit of the sacrificial drum

"There's the full moon of the seventh month of the year, and there's the full moon of the first month of the year" - as you travel through the lands of Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Yen Thanh... on this occasion, amidst the scent of the countryside, you'll find the lingering scent of incense, the resounding sound of drums, and the sight of people carrying offerings of sticky rice and chicken along village roads to worship their ancestors.

In Xuan Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), I met Mr. Le Khac Dinh, considered one of the most skilled and experienced masters of ceremonial drumming in the rice-growing district. At fifty years old, he says his "age of drumming" is roughly the same, because every child here hears the sound of drums from within their mother's womb, and their first toy is often a drum! Mr. Dinh had just finished teaching ceremonial drumming to clans in Dien Chau and Yen Thanh, and upon returning, he quickly prepared his attire to fulfill his role as the drum keeper in his clan's ceremonial drumming troupe.

Mr. Le Khac Dinh plays the large drum during the ceremony. Photo: Thai Duong

“In Xuan Thanh commune, there are about 12 clans, and each clan has its own ceremonial drum team. Almost everyone in these clans, young and old, male and female, is skilled at drumming!” – said Le Khac Dinh confidently, pride in his hometown's traditions shining in his eyes.

The ceremonial drum is a crucial and mandatory sound in ancestral worship ceremonies at family temples, yet, like many other traditional rituals, there are almost no official records of how to play it. The only way to preserve the drumming tradition is through the sense of duty and responsibility of descendants to their lineage. Following the customs of their ancestors, on the day of the ceremony, they simply observe, listen, and directly perform the ritual with drumsticks. However, even with the same drum ensemble consisting of one large drum, two smaller drums, two cymbals, one cymbal, and one drumstick, and maintaining a rhythm of 1234567, each family and each region produces a different sound.

“The main differences lie in how the weight of the drumsticks is placed on the drumhead and drum body; the way the instruments blend and intertwine; and the understanding between the team members… The bass drum is the rhythm-setting drum; all instruments in the team must follow the bass drum's rhythm, and vice versa. The sounds of the snare drums, cymbals, percussion, and drums harmonize and enhance the beauty of the bass drum's sound,” Mr. Dinh shared.

Drum team of Xuan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: Thai Duong

The man considered a master of ceremonial drumming in Xuan Thanh couldn't contain his enthusiasm when talking about the "art" he's been passionate about his whole life. He explained: Even if there are tens of thousands of people playing the large drum, it's difficult for anyone to sound exactly alike, because the magical uniqueness of the large drum's sound lies in the way the player creates the sound by combining the drum's body and the drumhead.

A player with average skill will create tones by placing the weight of the drumstick on the drumhead at equal intervals; but a skilled player understands the nuances of sound within the drumhead: the sound is deeper and more resonant in the center, becoming thinner and clearer towards the rim, creating a captivating range of pitches and tones. Furthermore, sometimes the drumstick striking the rim produces a thudding sound like a galloping horse, resonating with the deep, powerful sound from the drumhead, evoking the image of a general leading his army into battle—sometimes heroic, sometimes tragic…

The challenge with drumming lies in playing it in a way that accurately reflects the spirit of the ceremony. The drums are played starting with the announcement ceremony, signifying a plea to Heaven and Earth, the local guardian deity, and the local earth spirits for permission for the ancestors to return and to inform them of the ancestral rituals to be held the following day. Following this, at the main ceremony, descendants from near and far gather at the ancestral temple to offer sacrifices to their ancestors.

The drums resound with varying degrees of solemnity, grandeur, and heroism, and at other times with urgency, invitation, and longing, expressing a myriad of different emotions depending on the part of the ceremony. A large ceremonial drum roll consists of three smaller rolls, lasting approximately 9-12 minutes. Hundreds of drum rolls are sounded continuously during each session, lasting until the ceremony concludes.

Mr. Le Khac Dinh enthusiastically recounts the art of ceremonial drumming. Photo: Phuoc Anh

According to Mr. Le Khac Dinh, what's special about these ceremonies is that the drum team usually arrives about an hour early to teach the younger generation firsthand. In Xuan Thanh commune in particular, and Yen Thanh district in general, it seems that every family lineage has successive generations preserving the spirit of the ceremonial drums. Children as young as 8 or 10 years old can already firmly grasp the drumsticks, teenagers at 13 or 15 years old can play skillfully, and young adults at 18 or 20 years old can already play the drums smoothly and captivatingly.

The tradition of ceremonial drumming in the rice-growing district is not in danger of disappearing because the devotion of descendants continues to this tradition for generations. Young people in Xuan Thanh today still mention the names of the late Trap, the late Long, the late Kha Ha, the late Ngu… – venerable masters in the “art” of ceremonial drumming, deeply committed to the sacred sound of the drums. Some of that generation have passed away, while others remain passionately devoted to ceremonial drumming – like the late Ngu, nearing a hundred years old, who still firmly grasps the drumsticks on each ceremonial occasion, producing majestic and resounding sounds that captivate listeners, enchanting them and immersing them in the myriad emotions evoked by the awe-inspiring drums.

Mr. Ngự - a renowned master of ceremonial drumming in Xuân Thành commune, Yên Thành district. Photo: Thái Dương.

In rural areas, drumming is considered a unique art form where everyone is an artist. Without being told, everyone understands that on the day of the ancestral worship ceremony, they will get to play the drums. The tradition is passed from father to son, from son to grandson… and so on. During a ceremony, hundreds of drum beats are played by many people, regardless of age, each conveying their own unique style. Even more remarkably, while previously women were not allowed into the ancestral temple, with societal changes and advancements in gender equality, women are now even allowed to join the drumming teams. Some villages have all-female drumming teams, and the sound of their drums is just as powerful and majestic as that of their male counterparts.

The splendor of the ceremonial drums lies in their magical, sacred sound, connecting the past, present, and future; acting as a glue binding the village consciousness, the consciousness of origins, and the consciousness of lineage, so that descendants near and far, upon returning, always feel the warmth and love of their homeland.