The unique water ball of Van village

The Water Ball Wrestling Festival (or Mud Ball Wrestling Festival) is held every four years in Van village, Van Ha commune, Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province, from the 12th to the 15th of April in the lunar calendar. The festival is part of the folk belief of the local farmers in worshipping the Sun God, a tradition passed down from ancient times. Prior to this, in 2022, the Van village water ball wrestling festival was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Join Vietnam.vn in experiencing the 2024 Water Ball Wrestling Festival in Van Village, Van Ha Commune, Viet Yen Town (Bac Giang Province) through the photo series "Unique Water Ball Wrestling in Van Village" by author Do Ba Hung. This photo series captures the vibrant and exciting atmosphere of the festival, attracting thousands of locals and tourists from all over. This unique festival, held only once every four years, is a source of pride for the people of Van Village and is a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The photo series was submitted by the author to the "Happy Vietnam" Photo and Video Contest, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

The ball wrestling competition is held on the main courtyard of the Tam Giang temple, which is about 200 square meters in size with a muddy surface, and at each end of the courtyard there are two pits to push the ball into.

The match was dramatic, a fierce struggle between the two sides.

The ball is placed in the middle of the field, and the players rush in to snatch it. The task of the two teams is to grab the ball from their opponent's hands, move it together towards their opponent's side of the field, and place it in the hole to win.

Sixteen young men from the village, wearing loincloths and bare-chested, were selected to participate in a water ball wrestling competition called "ball wrestling," divided into two groups (Upper group and Lower group), each with eight men. Once they seized the ball, the ball wrestlers had to quickly run back to their opponent's pit, while their opponents fiercely pursued them.

The wooden ball, weighing nearly 20kg, was fiercely contested by the players.

The players try to lure the player guarding the ball pit so that their own pieces can place the ball in to score a point.

The water wrestling festival symbolizes a celebration of victory. It also reflects the wishes of the rice-farming community for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and prosperity. After the match ends, all the villagers rush onto the field to "bathe in mud," celebrating together with the two teams.

Water Ball Wrestling is a unique folk game often held during spring festivals and village celebrations, closely associated with the ancient belief in seeking good fortune, prosperity, and wealth. The ball here symbolizes the sun. Stealing the ball also means stealing the sun, stealing sunlight for the rice and potatoes – the primary aspiration of agricultural communities. The Water Ball Wrestling Festival commemorates the ancient legend of the Saint who defeated the invaders, and is an occasion to thank the Saint for granting the villagers a prosperous life. The Water Ball Wrestling Festival also prays for national peace and prosperity, a bountiful harvest, and a thriving life. Furthermore, it is a sport that promotes health and fosters unity among the people of the four hamlets of Van village… With its unique and unparalleled values, in 2022, the Van Village Water Ball Wrestling Festival was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 2024, the "Happy Vietnam" photo and video contest continued to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website.   https://happy.vietnam.vn is open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and above. The competition aims to honor individuals and groups with positive informational products that make practical contributions to promoting a beautiful image of Vietnam to the world. Through this, it helps people at home, overseas Vietnamese, and international friends access authentic images of Vietnam, its people, its achievements in ensuring human rights, and working towards a happy Vietnam. Each competition category (photos and videos) has the following prizes and prize values: – 1 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND – 2 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND – 3 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND – 10 Consolation Prizes: 5,000,000 VND – 1 Most Voted entry: 5,000,000 VND. Winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the Award Ceremony and Certificate Presentation, broadcast live on Vietnam Television.

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