leftcenterrightdel
At the wrestling festival 
According to Deputy Chairman of the commune’s People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Ha, the 5-day wrestling festival contributes to enhancing sportsmanship and physical practice, and best wrestlers would be chosen for coming big tournaments.

The festival often starts with a match between two young wrestlers.

Hong Ha commune is the birth place of a number of wrestlers with outstanding achievements in different competitions.

According to a legend, King Ly Nam De (503-548) chose the commune as a place to enlist and train naval troops. At that time, wrestling practice helped better both generals and troops’ strength. Gradually, such an activity was multiplied to other localities, attracting an increasing number of youths in the region.

There are two ways to win a wrestling match: making rivals flat on their backs or lifting them off the ground. These regulations are somewhat different from international ones.

For Hong Ha commune’s citizens, without wrestling festival, the commune has no Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday as it has become an integral part in locals’ spiritual life and a cultural feature of the locality.

Translated by Mai Huong