Vat Cau festival excites crowds in Hanoi
VOV.VN - A festival featuring ‘Vat Cau’, an ancient sport involving bare chested men wrestling over a ball, has been held in Thuy Linh village, Linh Nam Ward in Hoang Mai district of Hanoi, with the aim of strengthening solidarity among local people.
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| The annual festival takes place on the sixth day of the first month of the Lunar New Year. |
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| The origins of the sport are from many centuries ago and began as a training exercise for soldiers. To many people today, the sport appears to combine wrestling and rugby. |
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| The festival aims to strengthen solidarity between communities and pay tribute to the spirit of Linh Lang Dai Vuong. |
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| The sport is a contest between four different coloured teams of eight men with each team wrestling for possession of the ball. |
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| There are holes in each corner the pitch with the aim being to push the ball into one of the opposing team’s holes. |
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| The teams put in all their efforts when trying to get the ball into one of the holes. |
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| When one man gains possession of the ball, his team mates do their best to support him to push the ball into the hole. |
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| One team celebrates moments after successfully scoring a point. |
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| Due to the rough nature of the sport, some men suffered injuries during competition. |
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| The festival drew spectators from near and far. |
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