This year, the festival will be held on the 9th day of the lunar month of August or September 4, said Pham Hoang Tuan, vice chairman of Do Son District's People's Committee at a press conference about the event on Wednesday.
Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival 2019
Around 400 security officers will be arranged to ensure security at the festival.
This year, the festival organiser Viet Thanh Ltd. Co. has been allowed to co-operate with tourism firms to organise tours to Do Son. The tours programmes will include street music performances and folk games.
As many as 16 buffaloes are expected to participate in the festival.
Incense-offering and flag-raising ceremonies will also be held at Nghe and Nam Hai Than Vuong temples on August 27 as part of the overall festival activities. Some other ceremonies will take place between September 3-5.
The health of the competing livestock will be checked before August 20.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism previously asked Haiphong to ensure safety and prevent betting at the festival. A separate slaughter area needs to be arranged to ensure hygiene.
The Do Son Buffalo-Fighting Festival is considered a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It has been held in Haiphong since the 18th century.
Traditionally, the qualifiers participate in the tournament phase on every 9th day of the 8th lunar month to find out the strongest buffalo. The winning buffalo is killed in a ceremony worshipping the Water Goddess and then its meat is sold at quite high prices. It is thought that people who eat the meat will have luck.
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