Word Arrangement
This game develops in Hoa Lu, Tam Ðiêp (Ninh Bình). A word-arrangement team includes 32 boys under 15 years old. They wear blue trousers, leggings, and white shirts with red hem.
They hold sticks to which is attached colorful
tassels. They are often divided into two lines with two leaders (tong co
tien and tong co hau) standing at either end of each line. These leaders
usually put on white trousers with three-knotted cloth belt, gauze tunics,
turbans, holding square flags.
In the game, tong co tien and tong co hau
guide their lines to arrange different words in accordance with rounds of drum
by tieu canh. The two leaders direct their line to run spirally with
complicated acts to arrange such words as Thai Binh (Great Peace), Thien
Phuc (Heaven Luck), or Quoc thai dan an (Peaceful country,
prosperous people).
