(VOVworld) – Gong performances by a Bahnar gong team from the province of Kon Tum charmed audiences in Hanoi at a New Year program held by the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Gongs are often played during festivals and ceremonies of the Bahnar, when people eat traditional food, drink wine and play gongs. Gongs are played in an orchestra. Bahnar men and women wear traditional clothes and dance in a circle around a traditional Neu tree. A performance normally includes about 25 people. The women dance, but do not play gongs. Gongs vary in size and weight. 3 big gongs and 10 cymbals are involved in each performance. The gong dance takes place in front of the Bahnar communal house, which is also called a Rong stilt house. 

A team prepares to start their show.

According to a gong artisan, if you want a beautiful sound, you must strike at the heart of the gong.

Audiences enjoye the dance moves

Normally, Bahnar women do not play gongs and chiengs. They only imitate the motions of farm work such as harvesting.

At a performance, the gongs are divided and played in groups.

Many visitors, including foreign guests, are interested in gong performances, the soul of the gong culture space of the Central Highlands, recognized by UNESCO as a world intangible cultural heritage.

Bahnar men recreate the “Buffalo sacrifice” performance, which is held on many occasions, including the celebrations of victory.

A line of female Bahnar danced to the music.

A gong orchestra is arranged to create three-dimensional sounds with different pitch, duration, and resonance.

The “Tha” gong of the Brau was also showcased at the event.