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Exciting Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival
Like other folk festivals in Vietnam, the Do So Buffalo Fighting Festival includes two parts which are the ritual and the festival.
The Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival, which took place at the central stadium of Do Son in Haiphong city on September 7, gathered a sea of people cheering and watching the dramatic fights of 16 buffalos.
Like other folk festivals in Vietnam, the Do So Buffalo Fighting Festival includes two parts which are the ritual and the festival.
The event is held annually on the 9th day of the 8th lunar month with several practices, which are preserved throughout many generations.
Before the fight, dozens of men and women dance with flags, beat drums and cheering excitingly. After the announcement, the buffalos are led to the stage and proceed to fight in pairs.
They use their strength to come full butt at each other, tighten the rival and lock the horns in the resounding cheers of local people and tourists.
It is believed that the bravery and the resilience of the buffalos in the stage expressed the martial spirit of local people.
Wishing to win the competition, owners of the buffalos spend a large amount of money and time to seek strong and beautiful buffalo breeds from Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Malaysia, among others.
An ideal fighter buffalo has some unique characteristics showing in its neck cavity, claw, tail, and vortex, among others. The buffalos also required to have a proper diet of good-quality grass, sugarcane, potatoes, and rice bran.
Due to wartime, the festival was interrupted for a period and officially restored in 1990 and has become a significant cultural and tourism event in Haiphong.
The Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival was recognized as one of 15 official festivals at the national level in 2000 and a national intangible cultural heritage in 2012.
Buffalos are led to the stage to fight. Photo: VNA
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"Life-and-death" battle.
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They use their strength of horns to attack rival.
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People tremble with excitement when watching the fight.
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Bloody battle.
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Wishing to win the competition, owners of the buffalos spend a large amount of money and time to seek strong and beautiful buffalo breeds from Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Malaysia, among others.
Owner of the winner buffalo congratulated.
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Due to wartime, the festival was interrupted for a period and officially restored in 1990 and has become a significant cultural and tourism event in Haiphong.
The Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival was recognized as one of 15 official festivals at the national level in 2000 and a national intangible cultural heritage in 2012.
Photos by An Dang/VNA.
