Practices of Then by Tày, Nùng and Thái Ethnic Groups in Vietnam (UNESCO)

Inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019, the Practices of Then form an extraordinary spiritual tradition and folk musical ritual cherished by the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic communities across 11 northern provinces of Vietnam. The term "Then" originates from the word for "Heaven" (Thien). In indigenous cosmology, Then ceremonies represent celestial prayers and sacred melodies channeled through master shamans (Ong Then, Ba Then) to heal illnesses, ensure bountiful crop harvests, and invite divine blessings upon mountain villages. At the artistic core of the Then ritual lies the Dan Tinh (calabash lute)—a mystical two- or three-stringed instrument crafted from a dried gourd resonator and a slender mulberry wood neck—accompanied by shaking bronze bell anklets (chum xoc) worn on the shaman’s foot. As the Then master plucks the hypnotic strings and rings the bells, poetic verses rise in soaring, hypnotic cadences depicting the spirit army riding celestial clouds, crossing treacherous rivers, and journeying into the celestial realm. Major Then rituals include Ceremonies for Peace and Fortune, Healing and Warding off Misfortune, Shamanic Initiation (Cap Sac), and the Grand Lau Then Thanksgiving Gala. Far transcending spiritual rites, Then is an encyclopedic oral library encapsulating migration histories, indigenous herbal botany, communal ethics, and deep ecological reverence nurtured over centuries in northern Vietnam’s limestone highlands.