Breaking into... the "forbidden zone"
It's been 14 years, but every time I go to the Dolta Ceremony (the traditional ceremony of worshiping grandparents of the Southern Khmer people), I remember and am proud of the event of my commitment as a reporter for Lao Dong Newspaper to reclaim the Cow Racing Festival. Seven Mountains (LHĐBBN) returned to the government - Khmer people in two districts of Tri Ton and Tinh Bien (An Giang).
As usual, on the occasion of Dolta Festival, Khmer people in Tri Ton and Tinh Bien districts eagerly entered the Women's Union. In 2010, the festival took place in October at Ta Miet Pagoda racetrack (Luong Phi commune, Tri Ton district) with 78 pairs of cows from 11 units in the Mekong Delta region and the Kingdom of Cambodia.
According to the plan, the race would end after 78 rounds, but starting from the 45th round onwards, the race had to be "paused" many times because many cow owners had put pairs of cows in to block the race track. And the fire of violence burned the game to the point that the Organizing Committee decided to cancel the final competition, dividing the prize equally among the pairs of bulls competing for First - Second and Third - Fourth... What is worrying is this problem. happened before An Giang province "sprinted" to complete the procedures to upgrade the Women's Festival to a national festival.
Witnessing this situation with my own eyes, I took the time to research and was surprised to learn that the "violence" on the field was just a drop in the bucket of unreasonableness from the Organizing Committee. Immediately after that and for many consecutive years, Lao Dong Newspaper systematically pursued this issue with articles such as: "Dying at the door of "paradise"; "Bay Nui bull racing is on the verge of losing everything", "Bay Nui bull racing, the more you correct it, the worse it gets", "Damaging with Bay Nui bull racing", "Bay Nui bull racing must not be commercialized"... including , clearly pointed out that the cause of the cow owners' anger stemmed from the "imposed" regulations of the Organizing Committee, contrary to the traditional rules that have been passed down for many generations by the Khmer community in the Bay Nui region.
Typically, the regulation not allowing a pair of cows to leave the track to continue competing, compiled by the sports industry, has made many cow owners frustrated. Because it not only eliminates injustice compared to the previous traditional process: Where to stop, return to the place of departure. But the most peak is probably the arbitrarily "cutting" the number of laps from 7 laps, including 6 hoot laps (running slowly to demonstrate cow control techniques) and 1 drop lap (running at the highest speed). 1 round of both shouting and releasing to suit the direct broadcasting work of the Provincial Radio and Television Station as the organizing unit.
After seeing two localities, Tri Ton and Tinh Bien, take turns organizing the Vietnam Youth Festival successfully, attracting viewers, An Giang Provincial Radio and Television Station "stepped in" and turned the traditional festival of the Khmer people into a trophy competition for their unit. ... And from here, through sponsorship, businesses have blurred the soul and nuances of the five-syllable culture with the colorful colors of signs promoting their brands throughout the field and on the team's competition uniforms. bull driver...
Return traditional festivals to their owners
Contrary to the discomfort of some units, since 2013, leaders and former leaders of An Giang province have received information from Lao Dong Newspaper with an objective and demanding spirit, especially boldly taking action to correct it. LHDBBN.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Nhi - former Chairman of An Giang Provincial People's Committee, in an article published in a local newspaper, not only expressed his agreement with Lao Dong Newspaper but also called for "not letting economic factors overwhelm cultural factors" in LHDBBN.
On October 17, 2013, Deputy Office of the People's Committee of An Giang province Vo Hung Dung signed official dispatch No. 3424/VPUBND-VX conveying the instructions of Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Giang province Ho Viet Hiep on the study of the Women's Association.
In particular, acknowledging the issues raised by the Lao Dong newspaper and directing: Assign the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of An Giang to preside and coordinate with the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, An Giang Radio and Television Station and the two districts of Tri Ton and Tinh Bien to research and propose to the Provincial People's Committee to rectify the issues. Adjust the festival to ensure the traditions of the Khmer people and upgrade this festival to the national level. On June 11, 2014, the People's Committee of An Giang province continued to issue Official Dispatch No. 1896/VPUBND-VX conveying the instructions of Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of An Giang province Ho Viet Hiep, affirming: "The organization of bull racing is associated with the Ceremony. Dolta every year in Tri Ton and Tinh Bien districts is carried out by the district in coordination with Khmer Theravada pagodas."
At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to take advantage of the Dolta Festival to organize a provincial bull racing ceremony. If the provincial tournament is held in 2014, it will be held on the occasion of the Vietnam People's Army's Founding Day...
