Traditional tug-of-war game handed down as heritage

4/16/2019 - 10:38:33 AM

An ancient form of tug of war is still organised at the Tran Vu Temple Festival on the third day of the third lunar month in Thach Ban ward, Long Bien district, Hanoi.

Two competing teams pull some bamboo, which runs through a hole on a big wooden pillar. The pillar stands firmly on the ground. The athletes lean their feet against wooden pillar to have more power to pull the bamboo back toward their team's side. (Photo: VNA)

Legend has it that during a serious drought, only one of 12 wells in Ngọc Tri village still contained water.

Men from Cho hamlet went to collect water from the well but were stopped by men from Dia hamlet. At that time they used bamboo twine to carry the water home.

When a fight for the precious resource broke out, both sides were afraid of spilling the water, so they sat down and battled to pull the water from each other, some even clinging on to the buckets for dear life.

When the drought was over, elders in the village initiated the game as a reflection of the fight at the village festival in order to wish for a better weather, a bumper crop and a prosperous life.

The event has been recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The festival at Tran Vu Temple includes a ceremony and the tug of war to express locals’ respect for the gods and their desire for a peaceful life.

Source: VNA

3.6 Billion VND Allocated to Preserve Traditional Cultural Values of Ethnic Minorities in Lạc Sơn District

As part of Project 6 under the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2024, Lạc Sơn District, Hoa Binh province focuses on diverse and practical activities to promote the project's goal: "Preserving and promoting the beautiful traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development."

Mobilizing the power to preserve and promote the cultural heritage values

After 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU, dated October 11, 2021 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of Hoa Binh province's ethnic groups in the period of 2021 – 2025 with the orientation to 2030 (NQ04), it has mobilized the participation of the entire political system, the people from all walks of life and there have been positive changes. So far, out of the 10 targets of NQ04, 3 targets have been met and exceeded the plan set for 2025. Typically, 70% of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of ethnic groups in the province is on the list of the national ICH items and they have been protected and restored, exceeding 20% of the proposed Resolution.