If you have a chance to Dak Lak Province in springtime, you should not miss the Elephant Race Festival. The Elephant Festival is known as one of the longest traditional festivals of people in the Highland Central region of Vietnam. This festival is held in Don Village (Buôn Đôn), Dak Lak Province every two years in March, which is the time to start cultivating a new crop.
The origin and the meaning of the Elephant Festival in Don Village
In the beliefs of the Central Highlands people, the Elephant is considered as friends and family members, holding an important position in the cultural and spiritual life of the people here. Elephants in the Central Highlands help people pull and carry goods, wood, heavy objects,…
According to historical documents at the Museum of Ethnology of Dak Lak province, the person considered one of the first M’nong people to establish the profession of hunting and taming wild elephants into domestic elephants is Mr. Y Thu K’ Nul ( also known as Khu Sa Nup, born in 1827, died in 1938). During his life, he captured nearly 500 wild elephants and successfully tamed them, so the people of the Central Highlands honored him as the “King of Elephant Hunters”.
Originating from Mr. Y Thu K’ Nul, hunting and taming elephants gradually became a tradition in Buon Don. The Central Highlands Elephant Festival was formed from there and gradually became a famous festival. The elephant festival is considered a place to demonstrate the martial spirit as well as the strong lifestyle and long-standing traditions of the village and ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands.
The diversity and the beauty of the Elephant Festival in Don Village
At the elephant racing festival in Buon Don, there will be main activities shown including: Water Offering Ceremony, Health Offering Ceremony for Elephants, Buffalo Eating Ceremony to celebrate the season (Buffalo Stabbing Ceremony), Ethnic Cultural Festival Buon Don district, Elephant soccer competition, Elephant racing competition, Elephant swimming competition, New rice worshiping ceremony, Elephant bathing ceremony after finishing the Elephant activities at the Festival.
However, since 2023, in order to preserve Elephants in Dak Lak province, People’s Committee of Dak Lak province has signed a 5-year memorandum of cooperation with the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) on converting the elephant riding tourism model to a friendly tourism model. Therefore, The organizers do not carry out activities that affect the health of elephants such as: Elephant racing, elephant swimming, elephant playing football or tug of war between elephants and humans…
Instead, activities will be held such as: Water Offering Ceremony, Health Offering Ceremony for Elephants, opening and closing ceremony of the elephant festival, elephant makeup contest, elephant buffet, elephant greeting audience contest, and Taking pictures with elephants.
In addition, within the framework of the Buon Don Elephant Festival, many other competitions took place such as crossbow shooting, tug of war, stilt running, brocade weaving, culinary… for ethnic people in Buon Don district to participate.
Conclusion
The traditional cultural festival of ethnic groups in Buon Don district is a practical activity to introduce the province’s cultural and eco-tourism development potential. At the same time, honoring the cultural values of ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands, creating and attracting public cultural space to attract investors to promote joint venture, association and investment cooperation activities. economic and social development in general and tourism of the district in particular.
We would be pleased to have you visit and take in our breathtaking scenery, unwind on our white sandy beaches, immerse yourself in our exquisite culture, and get to know the people of the friendliest nation. Especially, to savor our delicious food at restaurants with Michelin ratings or to come and participate in our incredible mega-events involving culture, music, sports, and tourism!
Make your plan to Vietnam right now by obtaining a Vietnam visa at https://www.vietnam-evisa.org. We, a reputable and reliable Visa service, will assist you turn your plan into reality at the very first step.