Spring comes when Vietnamese wrestling matches appear in many festivals. Exciting, bustling by wrestlers and cheering supporters. It is a beauty in a traditional culture that people have preserved to this day.
When the festivals started, the wrestlers appeared at the wrestling halls with simple costumes and overflowing enthusiasm. Traditional Wrestling – through so many changes of life, many ups and downs of history still alive, still developing sustainably. Looking at the images of wrestlers on the wrestling floor, the cheers, the sound of the drums, and the audience watching every detail, you’ll see its vitality in today’s era.
About Vietnamese traditional wrestling
Wrestling has been a prevalent sport among Vietnamese farmers in the past. In the early days of spring in the peaceful time or at the popular festivals in the countryside, villagers often organize fun activities such as singing Quan ho, cooking contests, buffalo fighting, cockfighting, swinging, tug of war, mud shooting, crossbows, batsmanship, wrestling, etc. Especially Wrestling, the Spring Festival without Wrestling is lacking in the fun of Tet.
Drums emerge as having the power to attract everyone, eager to surround the arena. People commented passionately, clearly praised every piece, each object, and each wrestler’s style. In addition to entertainment and fun, wrestling is also a good sport, helping young people in the village become more potent, energetic, and brave to keep the town, rice, and protect the country. Wrestling has become a custom, a good tradition of Vietnam.
Since ancient times, when it was first introduced to Vietnam, Wrestling was considered a method of strength training, choosing people to protect the country. That showed right in the technique, style, and gameplay.
All year round, after completing the farm work, the young men in the village often invite each other to practice martial arts or wrestling whenever they have free time. They told each other, whoever has a good piece of martial arts, which is unique, will teach the brothers to practice together. On the days before the Lunar New Year, if there is a martial arts teacher in the village, they come to gather to practice more at the teacher’s house. If any town does not have one, they will send someone to pick up the teacher at the martial arts furnace, the wrestling furnace in the neighboring villages to teach.
Wrestling in the past was like a habit of people every Tet to spring. People consider it as a dating spot, a game to have fun in the spring-free days.
The costumes of the wrestlers when practicing as well as when competing are very simple. There is only one loincloth with different colors to distinguish one person from another. No belt, no pants, no shirt, it makes the game fairer and more convenient.
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Wrestling Techniques and Rituals
Vietnamese Wrestling is a folk martial art, not sophisticated in rituals, but tactics and playing techniques drawn over many generations. To this day, not everyone has learned all the tactics in wrestling to have a winning match.
First of all, the wrestlers are trained in how to exercise for endurance, solid arms and legs, how to stand firmly, how to swing arms to dominate, and methods such as how to move each step when going front, when going back, when stepping sideways, slanting, turning around, etc. They are also trained in how to fall so that they don’t hit their heads on the ground, to avoid breaking their arms, to dodge, to escape, including religious rituals specific to each wrestler, such as the Flower Dance, Xe Dai, also known as Ra Giang, or Crane Dance, etc.
Going to a wrestling match, you can see the wrestlers, before entering the match will dance a characteristic dance. It was the special ritual of a wrestling match. Ra Giang, Crane Dance, or Xe Dai is a respectful ritual of the wrestlers, and there is also a warm-up form of the wrestler with a national character, as well as a way of performing the wrestler to the audience, creating a unique atmosphere, healthy excitement before the real fight.
To say all the exciting things about wrestling will probably take a lot of time. People love wrestling like they love their village and country. It allows people to relax and laugh in the clear spring air. Spring comes, flowers bloom, festive flags are waving all over the road leading to the village and the festival. Many people look forward to the sound of drums, images of wrestlers on the field waiting for people to come and see. That is when the spring comes.