Jubilant cockpits
For many years, the spring cockfighting festival has become a popular hobby of many people as the Spring arrived. This year, the cockfighting festival was held from the 2nd to 6th days of Tết at Thương Bạc Park. On the afternoon of the 3rd day of Tết, all 4 cockpits were jubilant and bustling with hundreds of viewers and supporters.
The cockfighting festival attracts many viewers
Mr. Phạm Tiến Dũng, a member of the Organizing Committee said that this year's cockfighting festival attracted about 50 fighting cocks in the province. “In the cockfighting, it is not important to win or lose. It is an elegant folk hobby from ancient times. It is both entertaining and expressing the sportsmanship in the folklore during the festive season, especially on Tết holidays,” explained Mr. Dũng.
According to Mr. Phan Hữu Thiện, an “experienced” cock owner, the first important thing was to choose a good breed of cock by carefully selecting the roosters and hens to hybridize chicks. The cock owner must be well-versed and skilled, and check the cock from its feather colour, posture, spurs, fins to its claws and toes... Raising fighting cocks also required meticulousness and carefulness from cock owners, even in the way they practiced physical strength for their cocks. Usually, a cock of exactly one year old would be trained to prepare for “the fight”.
Bustling with the melodies of Bài chòi
People are playing Bài chòi
In the bustling atmosphere of Tết holidays, Bài chòi space (playing cards on bamboo huts) at Thương Bạc Park was host from the 2nd to the 4th days of Tết to bring back the soul of the traditional new year. During Tết, Bài chòi always attracted a lot of players and viewers, not only grandparents but also young people and even children.
This year, Mr. Trần Duy Chựa and Ms. Trần Thị Hoa, coming from Thanh Toàn Bridge area, continued to be “Mr. Hiệu and Ms. Hiệu” (masters of the ceremony) to lead Bài chòi games. Lyrics corresponding to cards announced and improvised rhythmically by Mr. Chựa has made players and viewers chortle.
Like that, the voices and laughter echoed throughout the park. Mr. Chựa confided that he was very happy when Bài chòi was not lost, but still integrated into the modern life. For each Tết holiday, he had an opportunity to bring laughter to everyone and re-enact forefathers’ folk activities through the lyrics he learned by heart since he was still young.
The interesting thing of Bài chòi is not in the “win or lose” factor. Instead, it is mainly for people to have an opportunity to exchange, integrate and rejoice at the beginning of the year. As for Mr. Bửu Hùng (from Huế city), this elegant hobby became an indispensable spiritual food as Tết arrived. Happily, Khánh Minh - his 13-year-old daughter also loves this game. “Every year, my daughter and me always come here to play Bài chòi. This elegant game needs to be maintained since it is deeply imbued with the national cultural identity in the early days of spring,” shared Mr. Hùng.
Story, photos: Minh Hiền