Preserving the 500-year-old wrestling tradition.

Passed down through generations, the centuries-old traditional wrestling festival in Trung An village, Hai Khe commune, Hai Lang district, has been preserved intact to this day. This unique and long-standing traditional wrestling festival has deeply ingrained itself in the consciousness of every resident of this coastal area. Every year on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the festival is held with great excitement and anticipation from the local people and wrestlers.

The traditional wrestling festival in Trung An village attracts a large crowd of people to watch and cheer - Photo: D.V.

Exciting wrestling festival in Trung An village.

On the full moon day of the first lunar month of the Year of the Dragon - 2024, on the beach of Trung An village, under the gentle sunshine of the new year, the village's annual traditional wrestling festival was held.

The wrestling festival unfolds amidst the rhythmic beat of drums, the fluttering of flags, and the enthusiastic cheers of a large crowd of local people. After the ceremonial offering to the wrestling arena, with simple offerings including paper clothing and fruits, the wrestling festival officially begins. The wrestling ring is a wide, open expanse of white sand in front of the village's ancestral shrine, surrounded by bamboo fences and ropes.

According to Mr. Truong Van Ba, head of Trung An village, in the past, wrestlers participating in the festival had to be from the same clan or family within the village. However, nowadays, the participants have expanded to include people from the entire commune and district. The competition includes people from all over, with no age or weight class restrictions.

After the ceremonial opening wrestling match between the two village elders, the children's competition begins, followed by the adult wrestling matches. In the past, only the person who won all the matches received a prize, but nowadays the rules have changed: whoever wins four consecutive matches wins. If there are multiple winners, they advance to the final round and are awarded first and second prizes.

Those who participated in the wrestling but did not win were also given gifts by the organizers, and people outside the event also gave rewards to encourage and motivate enthusiastic participation.

Wrestlers are determined to compete at the wrestling festival in Trung An village, Hai Khe commune, Hai Lang district - Photo: D.V.

The winner of the competition will receive the most valuable prize. On the evening after the competition, the winner brings the prize and flag, along with a plate of betel nuts, wine, gold, and silver, to the Fisherman's Shrine to report their victory in the wrestling competition. Afterwards, they hang the flag at the shrine and take the prize home.

Returning to the wrestling festival, amidst the drums and the boisterous cheers of the large crowd, the wrestlers competed fiercely. Unique and powerful wrestling moves were displayed, showcasing their muscular strength. Some matches were incredibly intense, featuring spectacular and captivating moves that sent white sand flying in the sunlight.

Preserving traditions

Wrestler Truong Van Thang (17 years old), with his muscular and handsome appearance, seemed to have exhausted his strength after two consecutive wins and succumbed to his third opponent. Sitting and resting under a pine tree, Thang said that he had participated in traditional wrestling annually since he was 9 or 10 years old.

"I participate in wrestling competitions almost every year. Wrestling not only improves my health but also helps preserve the traditional wrestling tradition of our ancestors. I hope to achieve even better results in the coming years," Thang said happily.

Each wrestling match lasts an average of 5-7 minutes, with some matches involving evenly matched opponents lasting longer. Inside the wrestling ring, the wrestlers compete with determination. Sand and sweat glisten on the strong bodies of the young men from the coastal region. Outside, people cheer enthusiastically for their friends and relatives.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, a resident of Trung An village, shared: “Every year, everyone looks forward to the full moon of the first lunar month to attend the traditional fishing festival and wrestling competition of our village. Although I often work far away, whenever I have the chance to come home for Tet, I always stay until the traditional festival before leaving. Being immersed in such a lively and heartwarming village atmosphere makes me feel very happy and moved.”

Before the traditional wrestling festival, Trung An village solemnly held a fishing prayer ceremony to express their hopes for peace and prosperity - Photo: D.V.

According to the elders, the traditional wrestling festival of Trung An village has existed for 500 years. Despite the ups and downs of history, the villagers have preserved and passed down the festival as a precious heritage and an indispensable element in the fishing festival of Trung An village, Hai Khe commune. “The wrestling festival has never been interrupted; it’s always organized on a large scale and with great enthusiasm every year. Only in 2020, when COVID-19 broke out, did the village only hold symbolic matches with a few pairs to maintain the tradition. The wrestling festival is deeply ingrained in the blood and soul of the people of Trung An village,” Mr. Ba said.

Wishing for peace and prosperity.

Before the wrestling festival, Trung An village respectfully held a fishing prayer ceremony with the following meanings: praying for peace - wishing for all things peaceful; praying for wealth - praying for the villagers to have a bountiful fishing season and prosperous business in other sectors.

According to Mr. Truong Van Ba, the Trung An village fishing prayer ceremony is a form of folk cultural activity of a fishing village, with ancient origins and passed down through many generations to this day. This is a festival that takes the form of a community cultural activity, close to the lives of fishermen. Like in other coastal villages of Quang Tri , the Trung An village fishing prayer ceremony has been established for a long time and is organized to commemorate the benevolent deeds of the fishermen, praying for calm seas, favorable weather, abundant catches of shrimp and fish, and prosperity and peace for the village.

Furthermore, the fishing festival also embodies many traditional cultural values, fostering patriotism, strengthening community bonds, and honoring the strength of fishermen. Each festival is also an opportunity for courageous fishermen, braving the storms, to affirm their unwavering faith and steadfast will to overcome all challenges, mastering their homeland's waters and prospering from the sea.

Every year, after the Lunar New Year, the traditional fishing festival and wrestling competition take place in the commune, not only in Trung An village but also in Tham Khe village. This is a unique and long-standing traditional cultural feature, reflecting the local people's aspiration for peace and prosperity. Over the years, the villages have successfully maintained and organized these festivals, contributing to the preservation, safeguarding, and education of these fine traditions for the younger generation. We hope that the villages will continue to promote the spirit of solidarity and work together to build cultural institutions such as the shrine for the spirits of the deceased, the shrine for the Whale God, and the wrestling arena... to create better conditions for preserving and promoting the local traditional festivals.

Chairman of Hai Khe Commune People's Committee Tran Kim Cuong

“The fishing festival is an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of community solidarity; to awaken and transmit the awareness of remembering our origins, our ancestors, and those who have contributed to the village and the country. In addition, it is also an occasion for the village to hold ceremonies to honor the wandering souls who have left their resting place in the village land and to solemnly hold a ceremony at the shrine of the Fisherman God,” Mr. Ba said.

In particular, this year, thanks to the collective contributions from villagers and those living away from home, the village's ancestral shrine has been rebuilt in a spacious and dignified manner, costing hundreds of millions of dong, making the worship more proper and solemn. According to Mr. Ba, the villagers of Trung An also wish to continue building the shrine dedicated to the Fisherman God in the future and hope that relevant authorities will support the village in constructing a more proper and larger wrestling arena to elevate the status of the traditional wrestling festival.

Hieu Giang

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa-the-thao/giu-gin-hoi-vat-500-nam-tuoi/184157.htm