| Description |
Also known as buffalo fighting festival in Vietnamese, the festival is associated with the ancient custom of worshiping the water god and the long-standing sacrifice of the coastal community of Hai Phong. The selection, purchase and training of a fighting buffalo is subject to strict regulations on customs. One needs a lot of skill and experience to select and care for buffalo. The selected buffaloes are kept in separate stables, without contact with normal buffaloes. Taking place from the 1st to the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the festival begins with the sacrifice ceremony of Diem Tuoc at the General communal house - also the god of the local village. Then there is the water procession, associated with the custom of sacrificing to the Water God. The magic water bottle that is changed once a year is brought back to the communal house by each village. The buffalo carpentry bathing ceremony takes place on the 6th, followed by the water procession on the 7th. The buffalo is carried into the communal house to worship the Citadel, henceforth called "Mr. Buffaloes are fought in pairs from the preliminary round to the final round. At the end of the festival, the winning buffalo is allowed to return in a procession. making sacrifices at the communal house On August 16, the village conducts a ceremony of "casting the gods" and disbanding, ending the festival. |
