On the morning of September 29th, the 29th Bay Nui Buffalo Racing Festival for the An Giang Television Cup will take place at the buffalo racing arena in Vinh Trung commune, Tinh Bien town, with the participation of 64 pairs of buffaloes from localities inhabited by the Khmer ethnic minority in An Giang (Photo: Hai Long).
From 2 AM, dozens of pairs of oxen from various racing teams were brought to the arena to prepare for the most anticipated race of the year for the Khmer ethnic community in An Giang (Photo: Hai Long).
Starting preparations at 2 AM, Tran Van Trung (27 years old, Tri Ton district, An Giang province) and his teammates brought their cows to the competition early to get ready for the contest.
“This is my fifth time participating in this competition, and I'm very happy and excited. Before the race, I prepared nutritious food to ensure my cows were in the best health. I also brought my cows to this arena weekly for training before the race, hoping to achieve good results,” Trung shared (Photo: Hai Long).
This is a traditional festival celebrating the Sene Dolta festival of the Khmer people. This year's bull racing festival attracted 64 pairs of bulls from localities where the Khmer ethnic group lives, including: Tinh Bien town (30 pairs), Tri Ton district (24 pairs), Chau Thanh district (3 pairs), Chau Phu district (3 pairs), Thoai Son district (2 pairs) and Giang Thanh district, Kien Giang province sent 2 pairs of bulls to participate (Photo: Hai Long).
The bulls of the racing teams are carefully cared for; the owners wash their bulls' faces with water at dusk to keep them alert before the competition (Photo: Hai Long).
As dawn broke, dozens of pairs of oxen were brought by the racers to the assembly area near the racetrack to prepare before the opening ceremony (Photo: Hai Long).
Bull racing is not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity to strengthen community bonds, preserve traditional culture, and create opportunities for people to interact and learn from each other. The races are usually lively and exciting, with many impressive performances from the breeders and their talented bulls (Photo: Hai Long).
The strongest pairs of oxen from the communes and districts of An Giang province gather at the waiting area next to the racetrack. Behind them is Tho Mit Pagoda, one of the famous Khmer pagodas in the area (Photo: Hai Long).
Around 5:30 AM, the participating teams began to flock to the racetrack in increasing numbers (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).
Each round of the competition features two pairs of oxen randomly drawn, competing in a knockout format, with the winning pair advancing to the next round (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).
The racing teams perform a ritual to pray for good luck at the waiting area, taking advantage of the time to have breakfast before the opening of the most anticipated bull racing festival of the year in Tinh Bien (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).
“I participated in the competition hoping to bring more joy and preserve the culture. Before entering the competition, I felt a little worried and nervous,” said Mr. Dao Van Huynh (49 years old, Tinh Bien town) (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).
From very early in the morning, many local people were present at the arena to wait and watch the spectacular competition of 64 pairs of oxen (Photo: Hai Long).
Around 7 am, thousands of locals and people from neighboring provinces flocked to watch the bull race. The area around the racetrack was almost completely full (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).
The opening ceremony and qualifying rounds of the Bay Nui bull racing festival took place at 8:00 AM this morning. The quarter-final, semi-final, final, and closing ceremonies, along with the awards presentation, will be held at 2:30 PM on the same day at the bull racing arena in Vinh Trung commune, Tinh Bien town, An Giang province (Photo: Hai Long).
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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/hoi-dua-bo-bay-nui-nhon-nhip-tu-2-gio-sang-20240929081321319.htm
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