Ox Racing at Khmer Dolta Festival (An Giang)
In a delightful atmosphere after a successful bumper summer-autumn crop, Khmer community in An Giang and other southern provinces such as Soc Trang and Ninh Thuan is excitedly preparing for their annual Dolta Festival, which lasts from 26 to 29 September.
The event contains numerous cultural activities of Khmer people, including rites to worship their Gods and ancestors, dancing and singing traditional songs. The most exciting part, however, will come from a unique and fascinating “Ox racing”, which is taking place right at the rice field. 38 couples of oxen are selected to the final round to compete for not only physical award but respect for their owners as well.
Travellers participating in this festival are given opportunities to appreciate the local diverse culture and be fascinated by over-joyful festival activities. Furthermore, many Khmer unique dishes, which cannot be found elsewhere in the world, will be served.
Dolta Festival is considered the second crucial event in the year by Khmer community, after Chol Chnam Thmay Festival. It is hold with the main purposes of rememorizing the local ancestors and blessing for the soul of deaths and at the same time, expressing respect to agriculture and appreciation to farmers.
At present, there are approximately 87,000 Khmer people living in An Giang. In accordance with 1.1 million Khmer residents in the South of Vietnam, they have been contributing significantly to the holistic development of the region and the culture diversity in Vietnam.
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