Seven Mountains Bull Racing Festival is held every year on the occasion of Sene Dolta (the ceremony of worshiping grandparents) of the Khmer people in the South, bearing the imprint of the traditional folk culture of residents working in wet rice farming.

Seven Mountains Bull Racing Festival

Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival is held from August 29 to September 1 of the lunar calendar every year at a cow racing ground in Nui To commune, Tri Ton district, An Giang province.

Beginnings of the festival

Bay Nui Cow Racing Festival is a singular agricultural celebration of the Khmer ethnic group held in An Giang. It is staged alternatively by the districts of Tinh Bien and Tri Ton. The festival of bull racing is a result of the South Khmer people's labor-loving attitude and open-mindedness.

The majority of the Khmer population in An Giang works in endless fields while using cows to plow and pull the fields since ancient times. They follow the phum soc way of life. Farmers ask one another to race their cows while they are working, which creates a joyful and lively atmosphere. The winning cows are frequently paid to increase enthusiasm. Subsequently, the bull racing festival transformed into the community's spiritual staple and the most anticipated annual event in That Son area.

Bay Nui Bull Racing - One of the most interesting festivals in Vietnam

How is the festival going?

People will choose pairs of cows to compete and will give them extra attention, especially during the buildup to the race. The bulls compete with the harrow and jockey to stand on after the pair is chosen by drawing lots. People then use a whip and jack to propel the couple to complete two laps to the finish line.

Any pair of cows seen going off the course on the first lap of the race or any pair found stepping on the prior pair's harrow will be disqualified. Nevertheless, in the second round, the second ox simply needs to walk on the harrow of the first pair to prevail. Also, the cow driver must maintain his balance because if he stumbles or falls off the harrow while racing, he is also deemed a loser.

Bull racing is a cultural feature of An Giang

Bull racing has a particularly unique importance in the minds of those who live in the Bay Nui An Giang region. The winning pair not only makes its owner proud, but also gives the entire family happiness and the drive to conquer all fields, a year of abundant harvests, and a thriving community. Due to these factors, the Bay Nui Cow Racing Festival has emerged as a distinctive tourist attraction in the province of An Giang.

Sene Dolta Festival of Khmer people in South Vietnam

Sene Dolta, also known as Phachun Benh, is the day the Khmer ethnic people in the South spend to remember the dead, to express their gratitude for the merits of their grandparents. The festival takes place from August 29 to September 1 of the lunar calendar every year, is the second largest folk festival, after Chol Chnam Thmay.

In ancient times, Sene Dolta lasted up to fifteen days, when the fieldwork had completed the plowing for the summer rice crop. For half a month, every house prepares rice, water, delicious cakes, and fruits to bring to the temple, and organizes it into a common festival of phum soc, thanks to the monks chanting and praying for blessings for the souls of their loved ones in eternity.

Nowadays, Sene Dolta takes place for only three days. The rituals for supplication and blessing are solemnly held in pagodas. Sene Dolta takes place throughout the Khmer communities in the South, but the most fun is still the bull racing festival, which only takes place in An Giang.

Sene Dolta is one of the rituals of great significance for the Khmer people in the South

Seven Mountains Bull Racing Festival is a special sport activity imbued with the cultural identity of the Khmer people in the Bay Nui region. The festival is also a playground to create an exciting atmosphere among Khmer ethnic minorities on the occasion of the Sene Dolta festival. Vietnam has many other unique festivals, book a Vietnam tour to experience it now!