Discover the Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival.
Buffalo fighting in Do Son, Hai Phong, is one of the largest and most professionally organized festivals. It also attracts thousands of tourists to the city of red flamboyant flowers.The timing of the Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival.
The festival is usually held on the 9th day of the 8th lunar month every year.- August 9, 2023 (Lunar Calendar) corresponds to September 23, 2023 (Gregorian Calendar).
Highlights of the 2023 Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival
The festival will consist of two important parts: the ceremonial part and the festive part, which will be organized in conjunction. Specifically: On the 1st day of the 8th lunar month : The village elders will perform a ritual offering to the deity at Diem Tuoc in the communal temple of Do Son. This will be followed by a water procession, associated with the local people's worship of the Water God. Notably, each year, different villages will request the sacred water to be brought to their village's temple and worshipped for a year. At the temple of each village, the buffalo owner will perform a ceremony to honor the village deity before participating in the Buffalo Fighting Festival. After the ceremony, the buffalo will be called by a different name, "Mr. Buffalo."
The significance of the Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival
This is a traditional festival that has been preserved by the local people for thousands of years. It also reflects the unique belief in worshipping the Water God among the people living at the foot of Do Son mountain in Nghi Duong district.Discover the Buffalo Fighting Festival in Hai Luu, Vinh Phuc.
This is one of the oldest buffalo fighting festivals in Vietnam, with evidence suggesting it was held as early as the 2nd century BC.
Meeting dates
The Vinh Phuc Buffalo Fighting Festival is held annually on the 16th and 17th of the first lunar month. The festival used to attract 70,000 tourists and locals to Hai Luu. The festival is also commemorated in a folk song:No matter where anyone goes or stays.
On the seventeenth of January, after the Buffalo Fighting competition, we return home.
No matter what trade one engages in,
On the seventeenth of January, we remember the Buffalo Fighting Festival.
Highlights of the event
While buffalo fighting festivals in many other localities are competitions between buffaloes nominated by individuals, the festival in Hai Luu is organized by a group of residents, villages, etc., who buy, raise, and care for the buffaloes, which are called "Ong Cau" (Mr. Cau). The criteria for selecting buffaloes to participate in the competition are quite strict: they must be male, with pure black fur, a non-white tongue, horns pointing forward, and a chest circumference of over 2.05 meters. The ceremonial part of the Hai Luu buffalo fighting festival also clearly reflects the spiritual and cultural life of the local people, as it is usually held at the village communal house with rituals including: presenting the buffalo, parading the buffalo, and offering incense.- The buffalo presentation ceremony is usually held in the ninth lunar month of the year before the buffalo is purchased. Afterward, when the buffalo meets the competition standards, it is presented to the village's tutelary deity for the last time on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
- The procession of Ông Cầu (the buffalo) at the Hải Lưu Buffalo Fighting Festival takes place on the 16th day of the first lunar month. The procession includes: a group carrying red flags, a palanquin with offerings, Ông Cầu (the fighting buffalo), village elders, and local people.
- The incense offering ceremony takes place immediately after the procession; the procession members stand solemnly and begin the ritual.
The significance of the Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival in Vinh Phuc.
More than just a joyful festival, this is a unique cultural feature of Vinh Phuc province. It has become deeply ingrained in the consciousness of the people of Hai Luu, so no matter where they are, everyone wants to return to their hometown on this festival day. It also expresses the gratitude of the local people to their ancestors. The Buffalo Fighting Festival is also a precious intangible cultural heritage of Vinh Phuc, and it needs to be preserved in the future.Discover the Buffalo Fighting Festival in Tan Ky, Nghe An.
While not as large-scale as the Do Son festival, nor as long-standing as the Hai Luu festival, the Tan Ky Buffalo Fighting Festival in Nghe An still holds a special appeal for tourists. This is a traditional festival of the Mong people, held annually during the Lunar New Year, and notably includes a theoretical competition where participants can share their buffalo breeding experiences.The time of the Nghe An Buffalo Fighting Festival.
The festival is held on the second day of the Lunar New Year, which is the 2nd day of the 1st lunar month, every year in Ky Son district, Nghe An province. Besides buffalo fighting, you can also see the participation of large, strong, and muscular bulls.
Highlights of the festival
The Tan Ky Buffalo Fighting Festival will have two main rounds of competition.- Theoretical round: Cattle owners will have to answer questions related to caring for, feeding, and cleaning livestock pens. In this part of the competition, the participating cattle will also be scored and evaluated by the judges based on their physical condition.
- Buffalo Fighting Round: Buffaloes or bulls will be brought into the arena in pairs and eliminated gradually to find the champion, second place, and third place of the year.
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