he Festival is organized on the 10th day of the 8th lunar month by the three villages of Do Son, Do Hai and Ngoc Xuyen (Do Son, Hai Phong) in honor of the genie of waters. Diem Tuoc dai than vuong, who once saved the population from a natural calamity. Buffalo-fights are reminiscent of a legend, according to which villagers saw buffaloes fighting while they were praying for the genie’s help.
Each of the 14 hamlets making up the village must give one 8-10-year buffalo to the care of an unwed, strong young man. At the end of the 7th lunar month, after the preliminary fights, three pairs of these buffalo are selected for official fights. At a fixed date, a solemn procession (with flags, oriflammes, palanquins) escorts, with beating drums, the three blindfolded pairs of buffalo into a field enclosed by bamboo. Fighting begins as soon as the blindfolds are removed. The village whose buffalo wins is awarded prizes. Whether victorious or defeated, the buffaloes are killed for the sacrifice and their meat is distributed to the villagers, with generous portions for those who bred them.
