Go to Ro Pagoda to watch the bull racing festival

For over 10 years, the bull racing festival at Ro Pagoda, An Cu Commune has become a traditional event, attracting the attention of many tourists from inside and outside the province. Although it is only a playground of the pagoda, this event has reflected the cultural beauty of the Khmer people during the annual Sene Dolta festival.

Exciting atmosphere

The yard of Ro Pagoda on the day of the bull racing festival was packed with people. They were tourists and photographers from inside and outside the province who came to learn about the sport that has a strong traditional culture of the Khmer people, as well as to look for beautiful works. For the local people, especially the Khmer people, the bull racing festival at Ro Pagoda is truly a festival, helping people to be happier and more excited after days of hard work.

The Ro Pagoda bull racing festival attracts more and more pairs of bulls to participate. Photo: THANH TIEN

According to Venerable Chau Soc Khonl - abbot of Ro Pagoda, the bull racing festival originated a long time ago, because the Khmer people in the past wanted to interact with each other after working in the fields. Gradually, people regulated the rules of the game, and then developed the scale as it is now. "With the support of sponsors, the monk organized the bull racing festival so that people could have a playground during the annual Sene Dolta. From just over 10 pairs of bulls participating in the first years, the tournament has expanded to 32 pairs in this 11th year," said Venerable Chau Soc Khonl.

Only when coming to the Ro Pagoda yard on the day of the tournament can one feel the typical bustling atmosphere here. A few days before, the People's Committee of An Cu commune sent forces to support the pagoda in preparing the yard, cleaning the landscape, decorating flags and banners to create a joyful festival scene. On the day of the tournament, the atmosphere was even more joyful. The simple smiles of the Khmer people, the stalls selling food, drinks, and clothes to serve the festival goers, the calls to each other in the pagoda yard made anyone who witnessed it want to join in the common joy.

Mr. Chau Tech, a resident of Vinh Thuong hamlet, An Cu commune, could not hide his excitement: “Every year, people wait until Sene Dolta to go to Ro pagoda to watch the bull racing. Like me, I have never missed a year. Seeing more and more people coming to watch makes me even happier, because the Khmer people's bull racing is loved by tourists. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the pagoda and the locality's interest in organizing the bull racing festival, the Khmer people have another joyful event to participate in.”

Exciting competition

Responding to the audience’s expectations, the pairs of oxen participating in the competition all competed with all their might. On the flooded racetrack, the pairs of oxen that were carefully selected, cared for, and trained had the opportunity to prove their strength. After a leisurely round of shouting to test the opponent’s strength, the pairs of oxen entered the fierce release round. The release round is the sprint to the finish line, determining the winner of the race, so the audience was looking forward to this moment.

In the yard, the pairs of oxen jumped up and splashed water everywhere. On the shore, the audience cheered incessantly. The atmosphere of the racetrack was as exciting as that of a professional football stadium. With good matches, the opponents competed fiercely, the cheering became more exciting. There were situations where the pairs of oxen swerved off the track when they were in the upper hand, making the audience cry out in regret. However, that was part of the bull racing festival, creating diverse pieces in the viewers' psychology, increasing the attractiveness of this culturally rich sport.

Having participated in controlling the bulls at the Chua Ro bull racing festival for many years, Mr. Nguyen Van Bup, a resident of Tinh Bien ward, shared: “Controlling the pair of bulls to go as you wish is not easy. Sometimes the bulls are too excited, run fast and trample on the opponent's things before reaching the allowed position, which will violate the rules and result in a loss. When the bulls run slowly, I have to urge them to keep up with the opponent. When racing, I have to control the rope, not letting the bulls swerve in two directions, which will also violate the rules. Therefore, the bull riders must have both technique and experience and must be calm in handling all situations to be able to win.”

The further into the round, the more intense the matches, because only the strong pairs of bulls remain. The audience therefore has more opportunities to witness interesting situations. This year, the Ro Pagoda bull racing festival welcomed sudden rains but still could not reduce the "heat" in the stadium. After taking shelter from the rain, the audience immediately returned to the stadium to cheer on the competing pairs of bulls.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Cu Commune, Lam Van Ba, Head of the Organizing Committee, assessed that this year's tournament was well organized. Many forces participated in organizing and running the matches, ensuring security and order for people and tourists participating in the festival. "The participation of sponsors also motivates us to improve the quality of organizing the tournament every year. Hopefully, the tournament will increasingly spread, bring an attractive playground as well as contribute to preserving the traditional cultural beauty of the Khmer people in An Giang ," said Mr. Ba.

Box: After fierce competitions, the pair of oxen number 21 of Mr. Thai Binh Nguyen, residing in Chi Lang ward, won first place; the pair of oxen number 15 of Mr. Chau Thi, residing in An Cu commune, won second place; the pair of oxen number 02 of Mr. Chau Phi Rum, residing in An Cu commune, won third place. Mr. Nguyen Van Bup was awarded the prize for the best ox driver.

THANH TIEN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/ve-chua-ro-xem-hoi-dua-bo-a427800.html