Sacred water procession at Do Son Buffalo Fighting Festival
HAI HAU - LE DUNG - HAI VAN•18/09/2026 10:30
A water procession has taken place at Nghe Temple in Do Son Ward as part of the 2026 Do Son - VTV Buffalo Fighting Festival.
Procession members, buffalo owners and delegates attend the water procession at Nghe Temple.Nghe Temple is colorfully decorated with festival flags. The temple is dedicated to six deities who contributed to establishing the land of Do Son. For local people, Nghe Temple is closely associated with the traditional buffalo fighting festival.The opening drum ritual marks the beginning of the water procession in a solemn and sacred atmosphere.Delegates and members of the procession offer incense to heaven and earth and respectfully report to the deities and ancestors before performing the ritual of requesting water.The sacred water-taking ritual at Nghe Temple is one of the most important moments of the traditional Do Son water procession.The sacred water is respectfully received and carried to communal houses and temples to serve worship rituals during the final round of the festival.Amid the resounding drums and gongs, the procession, dressed in traditional costumes and carrying all the required ceremonial items, begins to respectfully escort the sacred water from Nghe Temple.Colorful festival flags accompany the procession, creating a traditional cultural space along the journey to carry the sacred water to communal houses and temples.For local people, water symbolizes life, fertility and the sea. The water procession is therefore both an expression of gratitude to ancestors and deities and a way of expressing wishes for a year of favorable weather, calm seas and peaceful lives. In the photo: Sacred water is carried to Ngoc Xuyen Communal House.According to Nguyen Dang Thuong, chief ritual officiant at Nghe Temple, a special feature of the festival is that its rituals are not held at just one temple but at many communal houses and temples across the area. The connection among multiple communal houses, temples and communities, together with the series of rituals held before, during and after the festival, has created the distinctive character of Do Son buffalo fighting.A certificate from the Vietnam Records Organization recognizes the folk buffalo fighting festival as “the oldest and most unique festival.” It is also one of 15 major festivals nationwide recognized as national intangible cultural heritage in 2012.Banners and slogans are hung along streets throughout the ward, ready to welcome visitors and people from across the country to the festival.
The 2026 Do Son - VTV Buffalo Fighting Festival features traditional rituals from September 11 to 26. The final round will take place at 7:30 am on September 19 at the central stadium of Do Son Ward, with 15 buffaloes that won the qualifying round competing in a single-elimination format.
