Preparations at Ro Pagoda campus (An Cu commune, An Giang province) have been completed, ready to welcome tourists to the traditional bull racing festival and seedling planting ritual imbued with Khmer cultural identity taking place on September 13.
Talking to reporters, Venerable Chau Soc Khonl - Most Venerable of Ro Pagoda confirmed that as of September 11, the decoration and cleaning of the pagoda grounds as well as the race area have been completed. The festival atmosphere has been filled, ready for the biggest festival of the year of phum soc. According to the plan, the 12th Traditional Cow Racing Festival of Ro Pagoda in 2026 will officially open at 7:00 AM on Sunday, September 13 (the 3rd day of the 8th lunar month) with the participation of 32 excellent pairs of cows passing the qualifying round.
Besides the dramatic sprints on the race track, the unique cultural highlight of the festival is the traditional seedling planting ritual of the Khmer people taking place at 2:30 PM on the same day. Venerable Chau Soc Khonl said that the force preparing for the rice planting stage after completing the bull racing festival has also started with urgency.
All the best seedlings have been carefully prepared. There will be 30 people living around the pagoda area and 30 monks directly going to the fields to transplant seedlings, showing the spirit of community cohesion and the aspiration for a prosperous harvest, favorable weather.
