Go to Phuxai laileng to see the bull fighting festival
(Baonghean.vn) - Located at the foot of Phuxai Laileng peak, Na Ngoi commune (Ky Son) is home to many Mong people. In addition, there are a few Thai and Kh'Mu people. They are communities in the high mountains but love arts and traditional sports activities. Every year, after the tomb-visiting ceremony on the first day of Tet, Mong people eagerly attend the Spring Festival. Boys and girls dress up to watch the bullfighting festival.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, in the cold of the mountains, we traveled nearly a hundred kilometers of steep roads to reach the people of Na Ngoi, Ky Son district.
... This year the economy is a bit more difficult... but that doesn't mean the spring festival is any less fun. Houses near the center of Na Ngoi commune suddenly turned into free parking lots with hundreds of cars and motorbikes of people going to the bull fighting festival. There were also guests from neighboring Laos.
Bull fighting festival at the foot of Phuxai Laileng peak - Na Ngoi commune (Ky Son)
Only during Tet do the winding, muddy slopes along the Mong villages become bustling. Normally, they live on ginger, taro, and rice fields. Young and old, men and women, whether from far or near, all come to the festival with indescribable excitement. After a year of hard work, everyone can have fun and enjoy themselves, everyone wants to go see the bullfighting festival. Young girls and boys want this opportunity to find a partner.
Under the thick fog, one could only hear the sound of boots hitting the road and the laughter of the festival-goers. And then they suddenly appeared in the fog.... Wearing boots is a wise choice for the Mong Na Ngoi people in the middle of this year-round foggy and muddy mountain. What is special is that when wearing boots, they are still very agile, because many of them have been wearing boots since they started running, walking in the fields, and farming.
We arrived at the time of the bull fighting festival. The arena was made use of the commune's football field. This year, 30 bulls participated in the race. According to the cultural officer of Xong Ba Denh commune, the bull fighting festival in Na Ngoi is not for the purpose of winning prizes but "for fun". After the competition, whether winning or losing, the bulls are returned to the grazing area in the forest and will "fight again" in the spring of the following year. This is completely different from the "buffaloes" who win the Do Son buffalo fighting festival (Hai Phong) - after the festival, the "buffaloes" are butchered.
Perhaps "competing for fun" so many pairs of bulls only compete perfunctorily, some "competitors" even just enter the arena to "get to know" each other and then... leave! But there are also matches that the audience is "satisfied" by the very enthusiastic participation of the "competitors". These are usually matches that last from 3 to 5 minutes to determine the winner. There was a match between 2 bulls from Keo Bac village that lasted up to 12 minutes. These dramatic matches often receive enthusiastic cheers from a large crowd of spectators standing around and the bulls seem to be fueled by the fire.
After the contest, all the cow owners were invited to dinner by the organizers and received "lucky money" at the beginning of the year. Although there was no first, second, or third place... everyone felt satisfied because for them, having fun was still the most important thing.
Mr. Xong Rua Da, Vice Chairman of Na Ngoi Commune People's Committee, said that the bull fighting festival is also held on annual holidays such as National Day September 2nd and every competition attracts many spectators.
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