Nghe An fishermen race boats to celebrate the New Year
On the morning of the second day of Tet (January 30), thousands of locals and tourists came to Lach Con estuary, Quynh Phuong ward, Hoang Mai town to watch and cheer for the traditional boat racing festival.
This year, 11 racing teams with more than 260 athletes from all over the ward participated in the boat racing festival. The athletes are experienced fishermen, have good health, are good at rowing, and were selected to compete. Before Tet, they practiced hard with the hope of bringing victory to their team.
At 8am, the tide rose, the river was full, the drums and cheers were heard, welcoming the teams to the competition. The rowers were strong, in sync, working together to row their boats quickly across the water. The race became dramatic when some teams were initially behind, but broke away in the sprint phase, coming in first.
"Watching the boat race is so much fun. Seeing the fishermen rowing with all their might makes the audience cheer until they're hoarse. Every year, when we go to the festival at this time, we eagerly wait to watch this New Year's race," said Mr. Nguyen Ho Trung, a tourist from Quynh Luu district.
Watching the races from start to finish, Mr. Nguyen Van Ky, 60 years old, a resident of Quynh Phuong ward, said that he has never missed watching the boat races because it is a childhood memory of his own and of the residents of this coastal area in general. This is an indispensable spiritual food for the people of the coastal area.
Quynh Phuong is a famous coastal ward in Hoang Mai town, most of the people work at sea. The whole ward has 774 large and small boats, which are the means of their life. The festival takes place in early spring since ancient times with the meaning of praying for the new year for seafarers to have "smooth sailing, full holds of fish and shrimp".
According to the leader of the People's Committee of Quynh Phuong Ward, this traditional festival is always maintained by the local government, aiming to create a recreational playground for local people, so that fishermen have the opportunity to bond, unite, and be enthusiastic after a hard year. In addition, this is also an activity to attract tourists in the early spring.