Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival: A Celebration of Strength, Courage, and Tradition

November 30, 2023 Heidi Phan Vietnam Culture 0

General information

The Buffalo Fighting Festival is a famous traditional event that closely attaches with the name of Do Son in the northern port city of Hai Phong. It is a traditional cultural, religious or artistic activity that reflects the material and spiritual life of a community in the past.

The festival is organised annually on the ninth day of the eighth lunar month. It has become an occasion for locals and visitors to gather and enjoy the fights as a betting game.

The festival is not only associated with Water Goddess worshiping and sacrificing customs but expresses bravery, chivalry, and the risk-taking spirit of local people.

It derives from the belief of Do Son residents that the local guardian gods like buffalo fighting and hence the practice ensures safe travel, abundant crops as well as prosperity and happiness. The festival has been held in the region since the 18th century.

Ceremony

Like other festivals in Vietnam, the Buffalo Fighting Festival consists of two parts – Spiritual rites and Entertainment activities. Since the first day of the eighth Lunar month, at the communal houses of all villages in Do Son district, the elders carry out a sacrificial ceremony towards Diem Tuoc God with participation of all of the villages. The buffaloes are brought in especially for the occasion.

After that, there is a ceremony worshipping the Water Goddess, in which the holy water is changed each year and given to each village to worship in their own village hall. Also, owners lead their fighters towards village halls to carry out the Tutelary God Worshipping rite. After this sacred ceremony, each fighting buffalo is officially called “Sir Buffalo”, representing local spiritual life, hopes, and beliefs.

Before the fight, dozens of men and women dance with flags, beat drums and cheer. The buffaloes are then led to the ring and proceed to fight in pairs.

Fighting matches

They use their strength to butt each other and lock horns to the resounding cheers of local residents and tourists. The winning buffalo meets its fate in ceremony, a sacrifice to please and worship the Water Goddess.

The fighting buffaloes must meet a wide range of aesthetic requirements. They must be at least four or five years old, have a wide chest, bow-shaped horns, toned thighs, and a long tail.
A Fighting match

According to experts, what makes the Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival special is a testament to the unique combination of many local communities.

The Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival was recognised as one of the 15 official national festivals in 2000 and a national intangible cultural heritage in 2012.

The Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival is a unique and thrilling cultural tradition that is well worth experiencing. The festival is a great way to learn about Vietnamese culture and to see the buffalo, which is such an important animal in Vietnamese society.

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Source: VNA