VietNamNet Bridge – Singer Hoa Tran has launched a music video for the song Chieu Phu Tay Ho (Afternoon in Tay Ho Temple) to honour Dao Mau (Mother Goddess religion) – a world intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO.

Spiritual scene: Singer Hoa Tran in her new music video, in which she honours Dao Mau. Photo courtesy of the producers

Chieu Phu Tay Ho is a song by renowned composer Phu Quang based on a poem of the same name by Thai Thang Long. The poem was written in 1993 when the poet and the composer visited Tay Ho Temple in Quang An Ward, Tay Ho District one afternoon.

"I made the music video, featuring Vietnam’s Mother Goddess religion, with a desire to help people learn more about Dao Mau," said singer Hoa Tran at a press conference held in Hanoi on Tuesday.

"The video is my message that I want to convey. I’m a medium who loves my homeland, loves Dao Mau and loves the value of traditional spiritual culture. I think that the spirit world exists and is always with humanity. The root of spirituality is love. Spirituality and religion help people be good, optimistic and more truthful," the singer said.

The video was made in collaboration with young director Lam Ha and music arranger Vu Trong Phuong. The two artists helped Hoa Tran tell a story of a medium through music. Director Lam Ha wrote the script, which moved singer Hoa Tran the first time she read it.

In the video, a young girl is stressed and commits suicide. She is then enlightened by Dao Mau and comes back to life. The script was based on a folktale about a princess in heaven who breaks a jade cup and is exiled to help the human world. The director tried to make the religious story easy for all viewers to understand.

Director Lam Ha used 3D technology to shoot scenes featuring the beauty in heaven and huge landscapes. The video also includes scenes featuring Hoa Tran performing hau dong rituals, dedicated to the worship of different spirits.

Hoa Tran was an MC before becoming a singer and is the wife of popular singer Viet Hoan. She studied singing with People’s Artist Thanh Hoa and has made music videos, including Bi Ngan Do (Red Bi Ngan Flower). This video is a cover of a Chinese movie entitled Once Upon A Time with Vietnamese lyrics by herself.

She became interested in Dao Mau after being stressed for a long time and was unable to explain why. Dao Mau worships three Mother Goddesses, representing the three realms of the universe: Heaven, Water, and Mountains and Forests. Mother Goddesses have evolved from mythical or historical figures who rendered great services to the nation.

The seven-minute video can be viewed on YouTube.

Source: VNS