Anxiety before the fight

Traditional buffalo fights are set to run in the Year of the Buffalo.

Most of the time, Vietnamese water buffalos are peaceful creatures, inevitably photographed by passing travelers as they bathe quietly in tranquil rice paddies.

But a fiercer creature lurks within…

Soon after the Year of the Buffalo begins, thousands of visitors and spectators will gather in the northern province of Vinh Phuoc for the Hai Luu Buffalo Fighting Festival.

Held in Hai Luu Commune, Lap Thach District on the 16th and 17th day of the first lunar month, it’s one of the three most popular buffalo fighting festivals in Vietnam, alongside the Do Son Festival in the northeastern port of Hai Phong and the Ham Yen fights in Tuyen Quang Province north of Hanoi.

“Though Hai Luu is less famous than the national festival at Do Son, the buffalo fights in Hai Luu are much more traditional,” says Hoang Trung, a Hanoian who hasn’t missed an annual buffalo fight since he first came to Do Son and Hai Luu five years ago.

“Do Son has been the most popular buffalo fight for 20 years and attracts tens of thousands of spectators each year, but it’s too commercialized,” says the enthusiast who first became interested in the sport as an amateur photographer.

“Do Son has become increasingly commercial, with big time sponsorships, public relations teams, company advertising on billboards around the stadium and a live broadcast on Hai Phong TV,” says Trung.

But Do Son is still enjoyable, he says.

The Do Son Championship, which is scheduled on the 9th day of the eighth lunar month, is a tradition that goes with the Water God Festival and the Hien sinh (Sacrifice) Ceremony. Although there are many legends associated with the unique festival, most locals use it as a chance to pray for a bumper crop and the safe return of local fishermen.

Large crowds gather at an altar at the stadium’s entrance to burn incense and pray. Requests for prosperity and happiness generally surround all prayers at the buffalo festival.

The most popular legend about how Do Son came to be is the story of the great drought.

As the story goes, a great god caused a severe drought in prehistoric times. All living things looked toward the sea, praying for mercy from the god. At the drought’s most miserable moment, when most hope had been given up, people suddenly saw two buffalos fighting fiercely on the crest of a great wave. Heavy rain began pouring down and revived the earth.

Locals began holding the annual Do son fights on the 9th day of the 8th lunar month to show their gratitude to the buffalo.

They worshiped the buffalo for its strength and endurance. The beast embodied their own aspirations of might, vigor and potency. Hence, they now offer the buffalos to the gods in return for health and prosperity.

Sport

The beginning of the fights, and intricate worship ceremony, lasts until lunch time. A typical show begins with a procession of eight men followed by six young men carrying a chair. The six buffaloes scheduled to fight that day then walk out, covered with red cloths. A group of 24 young men dance and wave flags before dividing into two opposing armies and dancing in mock-battle.

The buffaloes are then separated to two different sides of the arena and the excitement and anticipation begin building. After eating and more prayers, it’s time for the first fight.

The two buffaloes are moved to within 20 meters of each other inside the ring. They face each other and the nerves of thousands of spectators build to a fever pitch. The event begins with a riot of noise as the beasts are released and charge each other.

The first clash is always the loudest as horns collide and then lock, thousands shouting and cheering the fighters along.

The buffalo’s moves look more practiced than one might expect as they’ve been trained for years.

“The competing buffaloes must be between four and five years old. They’ve got to look good with a wide chest, a big groin, a long neck, a tight backside and bow shaped horns,” says Hoang Dinh Binh, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Do Son and head of the event’s organizing board.

The buffaloes ram each other until one backs down and runs away, conceding the match.

The match almost always ends bloodily, with both buffalos suffering several wounds and sometimes missing an eye as their horns are sharpened before each bout.

Before the bout

The wild buffaloes are purchased for some VND30-40 million (US$ 1,716-2,288) and kept in separate stalls from the domesticated animals to keep them somewhat feral.

But they are put through a rough regimen of training as well, with their owners forcing them to run through sand and swim quickly through mud to develop their strength, stamina and coordination.

Nguyen Khac Tho, owner and trainer of the 2008 Do Son champion, says “The preparation for the festival is very elaborate. Fighting buffaloes must be carefully selected, well fed, and trained.”

Some families eat less in the weeks prior to the festivals so they can give their prize buffaloes more cooking. The buffalos’ diets are also often changed to a strict regimen of corn syrup without any grass in the weeks before the fight to give them more Vitamin E, which is said to boost their ability to heal.

Whether they win or lose, all the buffaloes are killed after the festival as an offering to the gods in prayer for a bountiful harvest.

Also, eating buffalo is thought to bring strength, fortune and good luck. Of course, the winning buffalo is the prize piece of meat. The crowd leaves the stadium quickly after the last fight as the freshly slaughtered meat is on sale immediately outside the arena.

Good cuts of meat are sold for over VND400,000 ($25) a kg.

Reported by Tuong Nguyen