Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival

The cows are trying their best to race along, and behind them there is a commander. It is a festival of the Khmer ethnic people in the South. Rich in folk cultural identity, including the traditional harrowing bull racing festival, it is a unique cultural activity and sport in the Bay Nui region, An Giang.

The Bull Racing Festival is held on the "Don ta" festival (grandparents worship ceremony), from the 9th to the 10th of the 10th lunar month every year. “Don-ta” is one of the major traditional festivals of the Khmer people to express remembrance and gratitude to ancestors and the merits of the deceased.

In the past, during the agricultural production seasons of rice fields, Khmer ethnic minorities in Tinh Bien - Tri Ton often organized bull racing festivals. Harvest season (dry season) often has ox cart racing (a pair of oxen pulling a small wheeled cart) on the dirt road. During the planting season (rainy season), there are often harrowing bull races on the upper fields. Every year during the planting season, many Khmer farmers from the Phum and Soc villages come to plow the fields for the pagoda. On that occasion, they invited each other to race pairs of bulls, which gradually became a custom and was organized by the Elder of each pagoda, giving rewards to the winning pairs and from then on, the Bay Nui Bull Racing became the Bull Racing festival. annual tradition of the Khmer people.

An Giang, a land with many historical relics, landscapes and festivals imbued with folk cultural identity. Of all the festivals of the Khmer ethnic people in the Bay Nui region - An Giang, the Cow Racing festival is one of the most admired festivals. When the water upstream of the Mekong River rushes in, bringing silt to make the Mekong Delta more fertile, that is also the time when ethnic Khmer people excitedly celebrate Dol-ta and the joy of their traditional New Year. Southern Khmer in general and An Giang in particular are also multiplied because during this Tet holiday, they welcome another special traditional festival, which is the Bay Nui Cow Racing Festival - a traditional sport with characteristics of the lowlands. Khmer ethnic people of the two mountainous districts of Tri Ton and Tinh Bien, An Giang province.

Organize a traditional bull racing festival. To prepare for the bull race, they chose a flat field, about 200 m long, 100 m wide, with water all over it, plowed many times to make the mud smooth, with embankments on all four sides. The destination has an empty road to make a safe stop for the cows. The main race track is only 120m along the field next to the embankment. The starting point has two green and red flags, each 5 meters apart, and the same at the destination. Whichever pair of cows stands at the position of the flag, whatever color the flag is, will have the destination point according to the color of that flag.

Before entering the race, they choose each pair of cows together or draw lots and agree on some necessary rules such as who will go first, who will go last... But usually the last pair has the advantage. If during the race, any pair of cows runs off the track will be disqualified and the next pair of cows stepping on the harrows of the previous pair will be the winner. The operator must stand firmly and if he falls or falls out of the harrow, he will be considered a loser.

Each pair of oxen is yoked to a special harrow. The harrow frame is a stirrup consisting of a wooden board 30 cm wide and 90 cm long, with harrow teeth underneath. The person driving the oxen holds a rattan whip or a round piece of wood about 3 cm in size, with a sharp nail on the end - a bar-lul. At the start of the referee's starting command, the handler injects the bull's butt with a strong stick. The cow is in pain and rushes forward. The important thing is to inject both cows evenly to increase the speed of the pair of cows. fierce and attractive. This is different from horse racing in that each person rides a horse, and whoever finishes first wins.

According to the beliefs of the Bay Nui people, bull racing has a very special meaning. Winning a high prize in a bull race during the year not only brings pride to the owner of the pair of cows, but also brings joy and energy to the entire family to win many victories in other fields, like cows of Phum is healthy and has good endurance, good plowing and harrowing, helping people sow easily, bringing a good harvest and prosperous villagers.