Gia Lai marks 118th death anniversary of cultural icon Đào Tấn

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(GLO) – A solemn ceremony commemorating the 118th death anniversary of the poet and tuồng (classical Vietnamese opera) playwright Đào Tấn was held on September 6 at Đào Tấn Temple in Vĩnh Thạnh 1 hamlet, Tuy Phước commune.

The event drew representatives from the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Tuy Phước commune authorities, committees of Vĩnh Thạnh 1 and Vĩnh Thạnh 2 villages, members of the Đào family clan and local residents.

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Dao Tan Cultural Celebrity Temple. Photo: Ngoc Nhuan

Following an incense offering ritual accompanied by ceremonial music, delegates watched excerpts of Đào Tấn’s hát bội plays performed at the communal house within the temple grounds.

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Delegates and local people offer incense in memory of Dao Tan. Photo: Ngoc Nhuan
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Hat boi artists offer incense to the ancestors of the art. Photo: Ngoc Nhuan

Amateur artists presented scenes including Quan Công escorts two sisters-in-law (from Cổ Thành) and Tiết Cương fights the axe (from Hồ Sanh Đán). Organisers said the performances both honored Đào Tấn and promoted public appreciation of Bình Định’s hát bội art.

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Performance of the excerpt "Quan Cong escorts two sisters-in-law" (from the play Co Thanh) at Hoc Bo communal house. Photo: Ngoc Nhuan

From September 5-7, the Đào Tấn Tuồng Troupe of the Gia Lai provincial traditional arts theater also staged hát bội performances at the temple courtyard for the wider public.

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Local residents visit the Dao Tan Temple. Photo: Ngoc Nhuan

Born in 1845 in Vĩnh Thạnh village, Tuy Phước district, Bình Định province, Đào Tấn, also known as Đào Đăng Tấn, courtesy name Chi Thúc, studied under scholar Nguyễn Diêu before passing the provincial examination in 1867.

He later served under three Nguyễn dynasty emperors, Tự Đức, Đồng Khánh and Thành Thái, in roles including Governor of An Tĩnh, Minister of Public Works and Minister of Justice. He was conferred the title Hiệp Biện Đại Học Sĩ and ennobled as Vinh Quang Tử.

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Hat boi artists prepare to perform at Dao Tan’s memorial ceremony. Photo: Ngoc Nhuan

Aside from his reputation as an upright mandarin, Đào Tấn is revered as the “later patriarch” of hát bội.

He authored major plays such as Tân Dã Đồn, Cổ Thành, Hồ Sanh Đán, Trầm Hương Các and Điện Võ Đình, while revising and enriching classics like Sơn Hậu and Tam Nữ Đồ Vương.

His legacy remains central to the preservation and development of Vietnamese classical opera.

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