4. Cord and ironwood stake at tug-of-war ground & The rattan cord will be tugged back and forth through a ironwood stake' s hole. Rattan cord used in Hương Canh tug-of-war festival must be at least 45m in length and has a diameter of 3-4cm

9. Tug-of-war of Giáy ethnic minorities in Lào Cai province at Xuống đồng (starting a new crop festival)

2. Tug -of-war of the Việt people in Hữu Chấp village, Bắc Ninh Province: In preparing for the tug-of-war festival, the village chose wealthy young men and “unstained” families and divided them into two team: East and West

10. Tug-of-war of Tay people at Lồng Tồng (starting a new crop) festival in Lào Cai province

3. Tug-of-war of the Việt people in Hữu Chấp village, Bắc Ninh Province After all rituals were finished, tug-of-war started. Two teams, East and West, competed in three rounds; whoever win two rounds are considered the winner. If the winner is East team, villagers believe that they are going to have a good crop and vice versa. East team always was arranged to be a winner of the game.

8. The ironwood stake at the tug-of-war ground of the Việt people in Long Biên District, Hanoi City

5. The village senior who marks the scale, the main referee of 2013 Hương Canh tug-of-war matches of the Việt people in Hương Canh village, Vĩnh Phúc Province

A hukup (cooked rice basket) is used as container for the food offerings sacrificed during the huowah, and the dried pig intestine called binodbod . The intestine came from the pig that was sacrificed during the dupag ritual (harvest ritual), hanged to dry and saved until the punnuk . The chicken and intestine are cooked together and are eaten before people go to the river for the tugging ritual. The pig’s intestine symbolizes the a-e vine used to strengthen the kina-ag.

Tiên Chỉ (the First Notable off the village) drumming to give a signal of start for a tugging match

Lintel of the 11th century Ek Phnom, depicting the tugging act between the gods and the demons.\n

Discussion: Tasks and Prospects of Safe-guarding the Traditional Tugging Rituals

Leaning on the stake to reinforce their tugging strength