Seven Mountains Bull Racing - a unique national intangible cultural heritage.

Images of bull racing appearing in Son Tung M-TP's new music video have attracted a lot of attention from viewers.

The bull racing festival featured in the music video released by Son Tung M-TP on May 28th. Photo: Son Tung M-TP Official/YouTube.

The scenes featured in Sơn Tùng M-TP's music video, released on the evening of May 28th, quickly attracted attention on social media. Not only did this create a visual highlight, but the detail also evoked the Bảy Núi bull racing festival, bringing the unique culture of the Southwestern region of Vietnam closer to young audiences.

Amidst the modern rhythm of the music , the image of powerful oxen charging across a muddy race track evokes a folk festival that has existed for hundreds of years in the Khmer community of An Giang.

From rice paddies to traditional festivals

According to the book "Customs and Rituals of the Life Cycle of the Southern Khmer People" by researcher Tran Van Bon, the Bay Nui bull racing festival originates from the agricultural production life of the Khmer people in the two districts of Tri Ton and Tinh Bien, An Giang province.

In traditional wet rice farming, oxen are an important draft animal, helping people plow and prepare the land. Due to labor needs, households developed a custom of supporting each other during the farming season through a system of "exchanging labor," bringing oxen to help each other with production.

After working in the fields, cattle owners often organize impromptu competitions to test the health of their animals and the skills of the cattle handlers. Over time, these competitions gradually developed into community festivals.

The Bay Nui bull racing festival is a distinctive cultural feature of the Khmer people in An Giang . Photo: Hanoi National University Publishing House, Nhan Dan Newspaper.

The temple plays a crucial role in maintaining this practice. In the past, many Khmer temples owned farmland donated by Buddhist followers. People would often gather at the temple to cultivate the land together before returning to their family work.

On these occasions, the head monk and respected individuals will organize a race in the temple fields. This activity serves both as entertainment and as a demonstration of solidarity and connection between the community and the Khmer Theravada Buddhist life.

The bull racing festival usually takes place during the Dolta festival - one of the most important festivals of the Khmer people, to commemorate ancestors and pray for a bountiful harvest.

A dramatic competition

What sets the Bay Nui bull racing festival apart is that the bulls compete on muddy, waterlogged fields instead of dry racetracks.

Each pair of oxen pulls a wooden harrow behind them. The driver stands directly on the harrow, maintaining balance while controlling the oxen to accelerate. This is a challenge that requires strength, coordination, and experience from both the driver and the animals.

The race consists of two stages. In the shouting round, the pairs of oxen move at a moderate speed to maintain distance and demonstrate stability. In the releasing round, the racers urge the oxen to accelerate to maximum speed on a straight section of track. Mud and water splash everywhere, and the resounding cheers create the lively atmosphere characteristic of the festival.

Besides the bull racing festival, the image of the mythical Lac bird is incorporated into Son Tung M-TP's new music video. Photo: Son Tung M-TP Official/YouTube .

The pair of oxen behind is considered the winner if they can overtake or run alongside the plow of their opponent in front without breaking the rules.

In the past, the rewards were primarily symbolic, such as bells or new harnesses for the winning cows. However, the title itself was always a great source of pride for the cow owners and the entire village.

Since the late 1980s, the Bay Nui bull racing festival has been organized on a larger scale, attracting participation from many localities and becoming a unique cultural tourism product of An Giang.

In 2003, the Bay Nui bull racing festival was recognized as a tourism product of An Giang province. In 2009, the event was upgraded to the Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival for the An Giang Television Cup. In 2016, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included the "Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival - An Giang" in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is considered a significant milestone in the preservation and promotion of the value of this traditional festival.

Source: https://znews.vn/dua-bo-bay-nui-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-doc-dao-post1655216.html