Impressive Soong Co singing festival
The Cultural Festival of Soong Co singing was held at Huc Dong commune in Binh Lieu district on April 24 with various sport and cultural activities.
Soong Co is a type of folk singing genre performed between two groups of men and women or mixed groups. The San Chi sing Soong Co whenever and wherever they want, particularly at happy events such as at New Year celebration, weddings, and house warming ceremonies. They sing to make friends, to profess love, and to exchange experiences.
It is a type of community performance at festivals, along with folk games such as pushing sticks, tug of war, swinging, weaving wattles, and hewing shoulder poles. They sing in the San Chi language and wear traditional costumes, aiming to spread their culture and language.
Being held annually in the commune of Huc Dong where San Chi ethnic minority people mainly live in, the festival aims to tighten the solidarity among the community as well as preserve and develop valuable cultural value of this ethnic minority group.
During the festival, local people gather to sing duel love songs (a song type as a means to express personal affections and to compete against the talent of others in public).
