Bay Nui bull racing festival opens in Hanoi
Monday, 25/11/2013 17:13 (GMT+7)
(CPV) – On November 23, the Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) bull racing festival of the Khmer people was held for the first time at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Dong Mo, Son Tay town, Hanoi.
The festival is in the framework of the “National great solidarity – Vietnam cultural heritage week co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Management Board of the Culture – Tourism village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups, and takes place from November 18 – 24.
Initiated in 1992, the Bay Nui bull racing festival is a traditional cultural game of the Khmer people in the southern province of An Giang. It has become a tourism product attractive many visitors and photographers from nationwide.
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The Khmer people brought the six best pairs of bulls a distance of 2,000km
to Hanoi for the competition |
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Each team has a pair of bulls and two bull jockeys, the main bull jockey directly
controlling the bulls and his assistant who helps get the bulls ready to race |
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A drawing determines which pairs of bulls compete together. The race is held on
a flooded rice field which must be a length of 120 meters |
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In the race, the bull jockeys have to stand steadily on the rake; falling off
the rake results in losing the race |
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The most attractive view for the audience is the struggle between
two pairs of bulls before the finish |
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Any team which runs off the set track or falls will lose points |
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Pair Number 4 owned by Danh Vang from Tan Hiep village, Tan Loi commune,
Tinh Bien district, An Giang province |