On September 9, Venerable Chau Soc Khonl - monk of Ro Pagoda (An Cu commune, An Giang province) said that the Ro Pagoda Bull Racing Festival 2026 will take place on September 13, with the participation of 32 pairs of excellent bulls passing the qualifying round in many localities.
In recent days, work at the pagoda has been divided among monks and Buddhists. From the racetrack to the pagoda grounds, everything has been carefully cared for, focusing on items with Khmer Southern Buddhist colors.
According to Venerable Chau Soc Khonl, creating a space with Khmer religious and cultural characteristics not only serves the festival but also aims to give people and tourists more beautiful images of the cultural life of the Khmer people in That Son region.
Because some monks of the pagoda are studying far away, the pagoda invites more monks from nearby pagodas to come to support. Many Buddhists also volunteer to contribute. The monks directly monitor and guide the tasks. "Most of the people who come to help have difficult lives, so the pagoda supports funding for them to cover their lives," said Venerable Chau Soc Khonl.
This joint effort also shows the characteristic community life at Khmer pagodas, where the pagoda is not only a religious space but also connects people in traditional cultural activities. On this occasion, Ro Pagoda also prepares Khmer specialties such as beef cakes with palmyra palm sugar, ca-tum cakes, palmyra palm sugar, fresh palmyra palm water and palmyra palm tea to treat cow owners, guests and people attending the festival.
With 32 pairs of cows competing along with cultural and culinary activities associated with the Khmer people's lives, the Ro Pagoda Bull Racing Festival 2026 is expected to create a community exchange space, contributing to preserving and spreading the traditional cultural values of the That Son region.
