Cow racing festival in An Giang

(VNF) - Cow Racing Festival has existed for a long time in the Seven Mountains Region of An Giang Province. The Festival is held on Sene Dolta day of the Khmer ethnic minority people in the Mekong Delta (on the 9^th and 10^th of the 10^th lunar month) to express gratitude toward ancestors.

Besides floating paper-boats on the water, the Khmer people held traditional sports games like cow racing in the Sene Dolta Day. (Photo: haivenu-vietnam.com)

Thorough preparations are completed prior the race. The track is set up in a flat field, approximately 200m in length, 100m in width. The area is flooded with water, just enough to cover the ground, and dug up several times to ensure the mud is slippery. The track is surrounded by a boundary wall, and the destination area is kept as an open space, a safe place for the cows to stop. The starting line is marked by a succession of green and red flags, each about 5m apart, the same as the finish line.

Each pair of cows must race directly toward the finish line, aiming for the gate with the same colour flags as where they started. While racing, any pair running out of the track boundaries will be disqualified.

Each pair of cows is attached to something like a rake, dragging a wooden plank about 30cm wide and 90cm long on which the driver stands. The cattle driver must remain standing firmly on the plank; if he falls off or is thrown out of bounds he will be disqualified.

At the start of the race, the drivers use whip or rod on the cows to make them run fast. The trick is to get both cows running together at the same speed to stay straight on the track. This challenge makes the cow race different from horse racing which, with each person riding just one horse, is only about speed; whoever reaches the finish line first wins./.

They choose a flat and wet rice-field about 200 meters long and 100 meters wide for the race. (Photo: haivenu-vietnam.com)

Before the race, pairs of cows are chosen to compete with each other by drawing. (Photo: haivenu-vietnam.com)

Locals and tourists gather around the arena from early morning. (Photo: haivenu-vietnam.com)

Viewers feel inspiring and exciting atmosphere of simmering cheers and applause at the festival. (Photo: haivenu-vietnam.com)

Minh Phuong