Exciting dance of ‘girls playing drums’

The opening ceremony of Trieu Khuc Village's Festival was held on the ninth day of the first lunar month [January 30] at Trieu Khuc Ward of Thanh Tri District, Hanoi.

Once a year, the festival takes place from the 9th to the 12th day of the first lunar month at the ancient Trieu Khuc Village or today Trieu Khuc Ward.

It is said that in the past, Trieu Khuc was the place where Phung Hung trained his troops to fight against the Chinese invaders of the Tang dynasty in the 8th century. To motivate the soldiers and entertain the officers, Phung Hung had his soldiers pretend to be girls, dress in colorful clothes, and carry drums while dancing. 

The colorful festival honors Phung Hung Emperor, the leader of an uprising against the domination of the Northern Tang Dynasty (602–905).

 The dance of 'girls playing drums' was born then and has been regularly performed at the annual festival of Trieu Khuc Village.

Each of the dance teams must consist of at least six members. Young boys dress up as girls, wear headscarves, colorful dresses, and nice make-up, and play with small drums tied in front of the chest, dancing passionately with soft and flexible movements following the music of the drum beats.

The dance of "drumming girls" not only exists in Trieu Khuc village, but it has been a special dance of almost all villages surrounding the ancient citadel of Thang Long for a hundred years.

 The ‘girls playing drums’ is one of the funkiest ancient dances in Vietnam, showing the people's wishes for a peaceful new year to come.

Trieu Khuc Village’s Festival not only has the presence of villagers but also attracts a large number of tourists from all over the nation.

Boys pretend to be girls at the opening ceremony opens on Jan 30.