Annual wrestling festival opens in Sinh Village

Every year, the Sinh Village wrestling festival takes place on the 10th day of the first lunar month (February 17, 2016) in Phu Mau Commune, Phu Vang District, central Thua Thien-Hue Province, attracting thousands of residents and tourists.
This year’s event drew the participation of more than 80 male wrestlers from communes and towns in Phu Vang, Huong Tra, and Quang Dien districts and Hue City.
Phu Mau Commune People's Committee Chairman Tran Hieu Co, who is also head of the organising board, said that the contest has existed for hundreds of years in Lai An Village (another name for Sinh Village), traditionally associated with the national construction and defence. Since the fifteenth century, villagers have held the event on the occasion of the Lunar New Year to wish for luck, good health and bumper crops. The wrestling event is also an opportunity to choose the best wrestlers for the locality.
After the traditional rituals held at Lai An Village’s communal house, the wrestling event was held on 0.5ha of land in the centre of the village. Wrestlers competed in pairs in two categories: adolescents (under 15 years old) and youth (over 16 years old).
From early morning, thousands of locals flocked to Sinh Village for the wrestling event. All four stands around the wrestling ring were filled with people. The audience cheered stout and burly wrestlers who launched constant attacks to take down their rivals on the sand floor.
To beat their opponents, wrestlers must put their enemy’s back on the floor. In addition to the award for the champions, Sinh Village also gives out a bonus to reward all participating wrestlers.