Spreading from the Song of Lang Sen Village
(Baonghean)The Lotus Village Singing Festival has become a general rehearsal of mass cultural activities, a festival of singing about President Ho Chi Minh, the Party, and the homeland, organized from the grassroots to the provincial and national levels, contributing to motivating the people to uphold the spirit of patriotism and revolution, and actively contributing to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
Since 1982, every May, villages, communes, districts, and provinces have organized the "Village of Lotus Songs" festival – singing about President Ho Chi Minh to celebrate his birthday. When it was still Nghe Tinh province, the highest number of participating groups reached 33.
In 1999, our province had 19 troupes participating in the Lang Sen Singing Festival. The 2009 provincial Lang Sen Singing Festival, themed "Homeland, a place of profound meaning and deep affection," was held simultaneously in a wide area from Vinh City to Nam Dan district. At the 12/9 Theater, 19 troupes from various districts, cities, and towns participated, with nearly 500 performers presenting 100 performances.
|
On a national scale, the first Lang Sen Village Singing Festival was held on May 19, 1982, attracting participation from performing arts troupes from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the Central Cultural Center, Nghe Tinh, and the Lang Sen Village art troupe. This was a crucial inaugural event. Following the first festival, many localities, provinces, and cities responded and agreed to participate in the Lang Sen Village Singing Festival. In 1985, 14 provinces, cities, and sectors nationwide – places where President Ho Chi Minh left his mark during his time living and working in the revolutionary movement – participated in the festival.
By 1990, there were 23 participating troupes, in 1995 there were 29, in 2000 there were 34, and in 2005 – the 975th anniversary of the name Nghe An and the 115th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth – the festival brought together 32 amateur performing arts troupes from 32 provinces, cities, and sectors nationwide. And this year – the 120th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth – it has attracted 20 amateur performing arts troupes from 20 provinces and cities nationwide with 571 performers participating.
A new feature of this year's Lang Sen Singing Festival is the participation of 20 folk art troupes touring and serving the people of 10 districts and towns in the province, as well as neighboring areas such as Vinh City, Cua Lo Town, Nam Dan, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh, Do Luong, Thai Hoa Town, Thanh Chuong, and Anh Son, aiming to meet the cultural needs of people in areas far from the city and town centers.
It's impossible not to mention that during the years of the Lang Sen Village Singing Festival, dozens of songwriting camps emerged, and hundreds of songs by composers from all over the country were "provided" to the festival. Songs such as: "He is the unwavering belief in ultimate victory" by Chu Minh, "Central Vietnam remembers Uncle Ho" by Thuan Yen, "The May Star" by Anh Duong, "The bustling Nha Rong Port" by Ho Huu Thoi, "The Mother of Lang Sen Village" by Le Ham, "The flowers in Uncle Ho's garden" by Van Dung, "Pilgrimage to Nghe An" by Nguyen Cuong... were all created during the Lang Sen Village Singing Festival. The composers wrote songs expressing their love for Uncle Ho, and the performers were equally filled with emotion for him. Many artists and actors have made a name for themselves through these festivals, such as Meritorious Artist Tiến Dũng, Meritorious Artist Lệ Thanh, Meritorious Artist Ngọc Hà from Nghệ An province, Ngọc Hoan from Cao Bằng province, Meritorious Artist Trung Đức from Hanoi, Hồng Ngự from Yên Bái province, Sùng Thị Mai from Hà Giang, Y Moan from Gia Lai...
The deep respect and love for President Ho Chi Minh has led to the increasing participation of local leaders, various sectors and levels of government, artisans, artists, musicians, directors, actors, and people from all walks of life in the province, making it a traditional festival for the entire province and the whole country. Many delegations from provinces and cities participating in the national festival have likened this event to an artistic parade, a time when the entire cultural sector of the country reports its achievements to President Ho Chi Minh.
Thanh Thuy
