This special festival has been held from generation to generation. According to the ancient custom, locals make a earthen buffalo-bull statue and place it in the middle of the field as a symbolic action to disinfect all the diseases harmful to their cattle.

To serve the festival, villagers gather to make a palanquin on which are placed nine human-shaped statues, around five inches high, twelve other smaller ones of the kind, together with a big statue of buffalo-bull and twelve twist-size ones.

Number 12 symbolises 12 months of a year. The number of human and buffalo statues will be added one more if it’s a leap year.

The ceremony is presided over by Acha - the village elderly. Starting from his house, the procession accompanied by locals and a musical band travels along all the roads of the village in the morning.

Villagers think that throughout afternoon and night of that day, statues will bear all diseases for human and cattle.

Next morning, Acha and villagers go to the field and break nine human and buffalo-bull statues, then take small statues back to the village and submit them to village’s officials. According to the custom, village officials will award the organisers a token amount of money.

Nowadays, the procession ceremony has changed a bit. Along with carrying human and buffalo statues, a buffalo-bull statue made of bamboo with the same size as a real one is also carried. The body of the statue is painted with five colours symbolising metal, wood, water, fire and earth. Behind the palanquin, there is a real buffalo or cow.

The carriers go along all the roads in the village and stop in front of a temple worshipping Neak Ta God. The offerings including four kinds of salty dishes and four kinds of sweet dishes together with alcohols, candles and incense were put on the altar by Acha.

People pays respect to God. After that, the palanquin comes back to where it departs. The animal is slaughtered and divided to villagers. The head of the buffalo or cow is for the most important representative in the region.

Villagers take its blood to apply beneath rocks symbolising Neak Ta God (Mr Ta) to pray for rain and bumper crops in the new year.

(Source: Time-out)