Renowned as a one-of-a-kind event in Vietnam, this ancient festival draws many visitors thanks to its distinctive and extraordinary nature. Participants and spectators share moments of pure joy and laughter. According to legend, long ago, the brothers Truong Hong and Truong Hat—also known as the saints of Tam Giang—followed Trieu Quang Phuc to fight the enemy. When they defeated the Liang army and returned to Da Trach Marsh, the brothers were harassed by black demons in the swamp. The two sides fought, and the demons agreed that if they won, they would be handsomely rewarded. If they lost, they would submit to the saints.
The water wrestling festival, also known as mud wrestling, in Van village (Van Ha, Viet Yen, Bac Giang) is held from April 12-15 of the lunar calendar. The festival follows the folk belief of worshiping the Sun God that has been passed down from ancient times by farmers in Van village.
Ultimately, the black demons were defeated and had to obey the saints of Tam Giang. To celebrate this victory, the people of Van village held a wrestling festival on the day of the saints’ death. People in the region call it the Khanh Ha Festival. It is also known as the Mud Ball Wrestling Festival. In addition to a spiritual element of honoring the Tam Giang saints’ victory over the black demons, the festival is also associated with worshipping the sun god, a sacred symbol of a rice-growing civilization. A folk saying states:
Van village’s Khanh Ha Wrestling Ball Festival
Is unmatched throughout the North region.
Wrestlers exert their strength to seize the prize
On a playground of mud and water.
“Khánh Hạ làng Vân hội vật cầu
Khắp vùng Kinh Bắc chẳng có đâu
Quan quân gắng sức giành cho được
Sân chơi bùn nước họa một màu.”
Even though it is so drastic, in order for this to be a game meant to pray for seasons and harmony, the Organizing Committee has thoroughly understood that the “balls” should not have excessive friction or collision. At the same time, the audience are also fans of both zodiacs, whichever zodiac wins is the common joy of the whole village.
The festival is held in a courtyard spanning over 200m2 and filled with mud and clay. Water from the Cau River is stored in earthen jars from Tho Ha village and poured onto the playing field. Normally used to make wine, the jars are carried from the river by beautiful girls wearing traditional clothes. There are two holes about 1m deep and more than half a meter wide at each end of the playing field. The team that manages to push the ball into the opponent’s hole wins the game.
Made of ironwood, the ball is 35cm in diameter and weighs about 20kg. Stored in the village’s communal house, it has been passed down for generations. The ball symbolizes the yang – the sun, while the hole symbolizes the yin. According to spiritual beliefs, each time the ball is pushed into the hole, it represents the harmony between heaven and earth, creating favorable weather conditions for abundant harvests.
The person who wins the orb wins solar energy and brings luck to the villagers.
The wrestling team consists of 16 strong young men carefully selected from five hamlets, divided into the Upper and Lower teams. Each team has eight players. According to the village’s regulations, the wrestlers must follow a strict vegetarian diet, avoid eating garlic, and abstain from any sexual activity for three days before the match. The wrestlers undergo careful training, encompassing both ceremonial rituals and wrestling techniques.
With its “unique” value, the Van village water wrestling festival has just been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage.
Before the match, elders perform an incense offering ceremony in the temple, accompanied by a lion dance. The wrestlers remove their shirts and wear loincloths before performing a ritual sacrifice to the Tam Giang saints. They line up facing the temple to worship the saints and enter the temple yard to drink wine. They sit cross-legged in rows, facing each other, while a ceremonial feast is set up between them. The feast features various fruits and rice liquor from Van village, which is famous in the Viet Yen region. Each person drinks three bowls of liquor and eats some fruit before greeting the audience. The wrestlers from both teams line up in pairs, facing each other. Each team sends a pair to compete. The winning team gets the ball first.
The ball is thrown onto the field by the chief officiant. Upon entering the field, the ball is carried from east to west in the direction of the sun rising and setting. When the chief officiant throws the ball onto the field, the young men on both teams leap into action, scrambling to seize the ball in the muddy terrain, determined to win. With the idea that capturing the ball means capturing the sun and light for crops and for all living beings, the Mud Ball Wrestling Festival holds the significance of a harvest festival and a prayer for bumper crops. The Upper and Lower teams compete fiercely for three days. Usually they play one match per day, but two or three matches may be organized some years, with each match lasting two hours. The match begins with a fierce confrontation between the two teams, with cheers echoing all around. However, given the festival’s auspicious nature, matches, no matter how intense, avoid violent collisions.
