Chua Ro Bull Racing Festival

The 10th Chua Ro Bull Racing Festival in 2024 was held on September 8. This is a unique cultural feature of the Khmer people in the Bay Nui region of An Giang on the occasion of the annual Sene Dolta festival.

The 10th Chua Ro Bull Racing Festival in 2024 has 24 excellent pairs of bulls from Khmer people in Tri Ton district and Tinh Bien town, An Giang province. Photo: Cong Mao-VNA

Participating in the 10th Chua Ro Bull Racing Festival in 2024 are 24 pairs of excellent bulls of Khmer people in Tri Ton district and Tinh Bien town, An Giang province. The festival has attracted a large number of people and tourists from all over the provinces and cities to watch, cheer, creating an exciting, bustling atmosphere, connecting the nation during the festival.

From early morning, tens of thousands of tourists and people of all ages from all over flocked to watch. Everyone took advantage of the early arrival to choose a good viewing angle. This is also an opportunity for visitors from near and far to enjoy the specialties of the Bay Nui An Giang region. In particular, the Chua Ro Bull Racing Festival attracted hundreds of photographers and reporters from domestic and foreign press agencies to attend to immerse themselves in the festival atmosphere and explore the beauty of the Bay Nui An Giang region.

The organizing committee presented souvenir flags to cow owners participating in the 10th Chu Ro Cow Racing Festival in 2024. Photo: Cong Mao-VNA

The competing pairs of oxen are cared for by their owners according to their own secret. The “Oxen Riders” (oxen drivers) have been training for many months to be able to win the highest prize. Before entering the race, the owners draw lots to choose the pair of oxen that goes first and the pair that goes after; usually the pair that goes after has a slight advantage. If during the race, in the calling round, any pair of oxen runs off the track, or the pair of oxen behind steps on the harrow (a wooden board 30cm wide, 90cm long, with harrow teeth underneath) of the pair of oxen in front will be eliminated. However, in the releasing round, the pair of oxen behind only needs to step on the harrow of the pair of oxen in front to win, and the driver of the oxen must stand firmly. If they fall or fall off the harrow during the race, they will be considered to have lost.

Entering the competition, the two pairs of oxen will compete in the format of one round of calling and one round of releasing (“round of calling” - is the round for the oxen pairs to get familiar with the racetrack, demonstrating the dexterity of the oxen driver; “round of releasing” - is when the referee gives the signal, the ox driver uses a stick (a round piece of wood about 3 cm in diameter, with a sharp nail on the end) to poke the buttocks of his 2 oxen, so that the oxen pair can use all their strength to run to the finish line. The winning oxen pair will advance to the next round of competition. The champion oxen pair must participate in all rounds of competition and eliminate each direct “opponent”.

From the beginning to the end of the race, the festival atmosphere was filled with applause, cheers, and encouragement for the pairs of oxen that were fiercely competing to reach the finish line. In the race space, water from the fields splashed up in the intense chases, along with cheers, making the festival atmosphere more exciting, bustling, and attractive.

The pairs of oxen speed towards the finish line. Photo: Cong Mao-VNA

Mr. Chau Hunl (An Cu commune, Tinh Bien town) said that when participating in the Khmer people's bull racing festival, the bull owners and "Bull jockeys" do not care about the prize, winning or losing, but mainly about having fun, helping to strengthen the friendship between the ethnic groups.

According to the concept of the Khmer people in the Bay Nui region of An Giang, cow racing has a very special meaning. The pair of cows that win a high prize in the year are carefully cared for by their owners, so that they can compete again next year, because the winning pair of cows not only brings pride to their owners, but also brings joy and determination to the whole village and hamlet to achieve many victories in other fields. The cows of the village are healthy, resilient, and good at plowing, helping people to sow and plant easily, bringing a bountiful harvest and a prosperous and warm village.

The pairs of bulls compete fiercely in the release round, determined to achieve the best results. Photo: Cong Mao-VNA

No one knows when the Ox Racing Festival began, but according to the elders of the Bay Nui An Giang region, in the past, every year during the planting season, many Khmer farmers from the villages and hamlets led their oxen to plow and harrow the fields of Khmer pagodas, which was called "plowing and harrowing". After plowing and harrowing, they urged their oxen to "harrow and race" to see which pair of oxen was fastest and strongest. The monks and nuns saw this and organized (like referees), offering a prize for the pair of oxen that plowed well and ran fast, and would receive a "Ca tha" (bell around the neck of the ox). The following year, they continued to plow the land of the pagoda, and from then on, the Bay Nui Ox Racing became the annual traditional Ox Racing festival of the Khmer people in An Giang province.

In 2016, the An Giang Bay Nui bull racing festival was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage, one of the outstanding cultural and sporting events of An Giang province for many years, hosted by Tri Ton district and Tinh Bien town in turn, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to watch the bull racing festival and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mysterious That Son land.

The pairs of bulls compete fiercely in the release round, determined to achieve the best results. Photo: Cong Mao-VNA

According to Mr. Huynh Thanh Hai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Cu Commune (Tinh Bien Town), the Chua Ro Bull Racing Festival in particular and the Bull Racing Festival of the Khmer people in the Bay Nui region of An Giang have gone beyond the limits of the traditional sport of the Khmer people in the Southern mountainous region, becoming the "soul" that adds to the beauty of the Bay Nui region of An Giang.

“The bull racing festival is not simply about bulls racing against each other, but it has become a unique custom and belief of the Khmer ethnic people on the occasion of the annual Sene Dolta festival. The festival is not only associated with the custom of praying for favorable weather, good crops and a more prosperous life, but also shows the enthusiastic working spirit of the Khmer people, making the festival a playground, a place to enjoy culture and find out about national traditions of special value, fostering beautiful community sentiments, imbued with humanity” - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Cu Commune, Huynh Thanh Hai, emphasized.

This is also a form of education, propaganda and transfer to the next generation the ideology of solidarity, selfless sharing in work and increasingly strong human connections.

Cong Mao (Vietnam News Agency)

Source: https://baophutho.vn/hoi-dua-bo-chua-ro-net-van-hoa-doc-dao-cua-dong-bao-khmer-218552.htm