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Gongs in the life of the Muong

Gong of Muong People

Ancient legend has it that, in the caves, stone roof in Muong living area with many rocks, stalactites natural when typing on the sound broke, lazy … listen very happy ears.

Later to find out, to know how to cook the ore into metal, people have simulated the sounds to make gongs, drums. Creation gong sound turned integers of the mountains became sounds, tunes for life, cultural activities, religious and spiritual life of the Muong people.

1. The life history of gongs:

About the life history of scientific gong today was relatively clearly defined. Metallurgy of copper and bronze casting from early life history passed down to this day. The exact time of the ancient Vietnamese innovative molded gong can not be identified, but the texture on the Dong Son bronze drum, Ngoc Lu has hit the gong. The province’s material Provincial Museum in the old grave Cham Mat (TPHB) people have discovered an ancient gongs face to face on a drum. It is in early dating from about a century (TK) II – TK V AD. Particularly gong for not decorated, it is difficult to determine the age, but with the style and its rudimentary level, you can say this is the earliest gongs are now known in the province.

2. Known issues:

Gongs and drums – Muong called empty stage is VND, or is blank chang – is two ancient instruments mainly made of copper associated with the Bronze Age the Hung Kings water, when two people Viet – Muong is not split, it is inextricably linked with cultural life, living the spiritual beliefs of the ancient Vietnamese. More later, the role of drums and gongs increasingly sparse away with the Kinh, in Muong still be used in funeral rites and beliefs in the hallway – direct to the early years of the twentieth century, separate with gongs used increasingly common, widespread and diverse than today. Most recently at the funeral of a family Muong Muong Chieng Vang (9/2011), Tan Lap (Leshan) was found to appear drums are used as a sacred object in the funeral.

In Muong folk, people called circular instrument made of copper shaped up as, ribbed surface waves farm, the center button when typing to sound the gong. Rarely Muong people called, only when communicating with the Business or use from Viet – Muong beginners. Shared within the framework of this article the term “gong” but in fact the same object.

3. Chiang Muong family:

Gong with 1000 years Muong poeple

In the daily life of society Muong, Muong considered gong as a sacred object, your home. In addition to using produce sound, they consider this map, hard object itself has spiritual spiritual fresh air, dispel evil spirits to bring peace to the family. Material is considered as one of the symbols of wealth, power, material value as a measure of wealth, the wealth of the family, the clan. It can be said that before 1945, most of the roof are from 1-2 the gong, the upper grades lang – direct in the from 1 -2 gong. Even the family class top clooi, those torn at the bottom of the still trying to keep the house a gong and consider it as a treasure to desire one day the family will become rich. In wealthy families in the past, the above columns to the porch near the porch never one as well as a presentation for the birth to, below as well as porch columns opposite to the ones in plant cane price very careful on that show gongs, many families boast show hanging on the purlins, columns, it is rich with copper gong, being a symbol.

In addition to using the gong as a symbol of the owner, Muong gong is used in life with two main functions, the first function information, signaling, such as: museum, call hunt, the lang summons or signal something … something else they use rhythm all die spell in the folk festival, holidays, holidays, use the instrument in the band funeral.

4. Dealing with gong:

Muong people appreciate gong. Normally when not in use, they put certain postural gong. With gong, Muong people think it should also mouth when it is put back on, the knob down, rarely Muong people face because they think like is undiminished gong mouth makes dumb, then this does not rated into. When solo gong, Muong people do not get punched or slapped in the hand, not take hard rod or stick to the type they hit with a stick, the stick hit the gong is made of hard rods to hit the gong is fabric that make up the hub. With the concept of animism, the gong is a sacred object, precious the Muong people believe that, gong also chickened out (soul). In the spring, after the Tet New Year (New Year) when the ward organizations to die dinner they often called soul gong with a short vow song, Muong called cult Zayl gong – wake gong. Chiang is considered to is household insurance transmit life to their children, and often used as a dowry for his daughter married.

5. Classification of environmental gong and rail conditions:

Chiang Muong be used flexibly, depending on the job, each ritual can use single, small orchestra 2 – 3 units, but most people use in staging. A gong full with 12 units representing 12 months of the year led by 12 people, instrumental music, certain tunes.

Dong gong muong people 2000 years

 
The beat, rhythm gong also depending on the conditions and circumstances of use that gong beat match, can be divided into three situations: in real life, in religious ceremonies, funerals and festivals, Tet most happy day. When solo 1 – 3 gongs, Muong called beat gongs, if medley the fourth gong or more collective called accords charms or talismans.

After Chinese new year from the 2nd – 7 open lower as well as at the ward tourism organization charms around every spring. Ward spells are a collective of members hit the gongs themselves gathered together around the head of the ward boss called wards. On wards and charms often regardless of age, gender, but also many wards only men, ward bosses is a good song, good work, good communication and good handling all situations, but special proficiency in various articles die spell. Wards the many charms members are young, young, only 1 – 2 middle ward boss.

A ward spell must have at least 8 – 12 gong by 12 people rated, 2 khenh bins of rice, gifts. This the trip spring footer form bearing the crown folk art oratorio very unique instrument medley accompanied by eminent charm.

Muong people resident agricultural cultivation of rice, water is essential, the most important addition to the Happy New Year, New Year’s customs die spell profound attention is called rain, call for the season. It is a unique custom, unique seemingly just for fun, good luck, but to stick with production work. Thus, the New Year gongs, especially with known medical symbol called thunder and rain down as folk season. here is easy to recognize the vestiges of ancient Muong gong used in religious rituals for rain, pray for better weather.

In folk festivals Muong (many places in the ancient language still called as vegetarian visualize, vegetarian village), gongs die meals is indispensable important content. Gongs are instrumental in ceremonies and rituals of the festival be instrumental Hovers quenh – walking around the temples, pagodas or grounds where the festival. This is not simply a solo gong for fun, it meant sacred beliefs chase the devil …

6. Value:

Until now, there are a lot of articles, a number of collection, gongs Muong research, but do not have a full survey statistics, especially the collection of the gong, the period dance solo gongs of the Muong, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the province has collected more than 20 ancient gong solo tunes. New hearing, gongs imagine just monotonous round of audio frames: floating ball, disease – - Visit … Actually not, it’s just the brackets for each a gong just take a negative staging charms, medley process, each region created many excellent posts so far collected charms. If only going to learn the lessons of the excellent folk style amulet Bac Ninh has more than 600 tunes, for example, how many of those have excellent spell … and then looking at it in the perspective of modern music style thinking Western notation is introduced to be very limp, not see the value of the Muong Chieng, because after all music is just a distinguished folk jam, look at it in the extensive than it is worth icon and historic cultural space.

The last solo gong abundant in folk festivals, many of melody, each with a specific area pictured in each festival has many different items, but have an important characteristic and the same everywhere it is known ” Visit … “harmonies of many gongs to sound or bass solo up a reputation as a focal point, a piece of tail keywords, a melody, but it is also increased, pushing up the bass hero spread far in the limestone valley hit cliffs, comfortable and prospects back hills to make things sound interference with the earth and sky. “Explore …” like a wave, strength dispel demonic change, can ward off evil, but is also sometimes known mosaic call thunder and rain down for the season. When to Explore … emerged, the listener feels like an invisible force winds. The sanctity of the gong was put together is “Explore …”, it is the symbol of, intangible symbols (non-object) multi-meanings. The solo gong Performance spell in early spring activities, festivals, folk beliefs Muong also meant to symbolize thunder rain, ward off evil, for peace for the Muong people. Thus, from ancient times, gong Muong people use a lot of festivals appearance of the band for the ceremony and ritual functions communicate with the divine. Chiang is used to dispel evil brings good things to people. Obviously Muong gong is a type of culture and also art form is very simple, at the original change still holds quite as in the distant past it was formed.

Source: www.vietnamtraveltour.net – Vietnam tour by Antony Dong

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