Soong-Co songs are folk songs of San Diu ethnic minority. People who sing Soong-Co must be capable of remembering all the versions. They use some quotations as puzzles. The partner singers will get the suitable quotations to response.
There are certain stages of singing Soong-Co at each time: at the sunset, they sing version of asking to sit down, having tea, and chew piece of betel; at midnight, they sing the version of asking about homeland, family, career and desire, etc; at late midnight, the host will offer singers steamed glutinous rice, or porridge; at about 3a.m they will sing version of going to leave for home; at dawn, they sing version of saying good bye, and seeing-off.
When singing, the singers are not allowed to tease each other. Prosperous love couples should not leave out for their own purposes. If they like each other, they should meet later and find an intermediate called Mu Nhin to help. These couples will consider Mu Nhin as their parents. They give presents to Mu Nhin on occasions of Tet holiday and worship Mu Nhin. When Mu Nhin dies, the couple must kill a pig to do the death ceremony for him or her. Soong-Co is sung in a way of word after word is called Coc singing. Coc singing often appeared in the repatee singing. In the wedding ceremony, singers will sing in a way of lulling. They lengthen the rhythm and repeat it. The groom’s family will send two young men to sing; the bride’s family also sends other two young men to response. The duet is for Coc singing; the solo is for the lull singing.At the beginning of the wedding ceremony, singers from the groom’s family will sing to salute the host, uncles, aunts, cousins, and before the ancestor altar. Singers from the bride`s family will response to each sentence or version.
The two families’singers sing happily and eat to satiety. They sing from morning to night till the wedding ceremony finishes.
