Is tug of war just for fun or also a harvest-praying ritual?
Tug of war in Vietnam is not purely a recreational game. In many rural villages, it is an agricultural ritual with strict rules, tied to the crop calendar and deity worship. The two most mentioned typical forms are sitting tug of war at Tran Vu Temple (Thach Ban ward, Long Bien district, Hanoi) and bamboo tug of war in Huu Chap village (Bac Ninh). Both are part of the Ritual and Game of Tug of War file inscribed by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015, submitted by four countries: Cambodia, South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. According to Vietnam's file, this heritage is associated with four provinces and cities: Lao Cai, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, and Hanoi.
The difference between traditional tug of war and modern sport tug of war lies in this: winning is not the ultimate goal. The result is read as an omen for the community's crops, weather, and fortunes in the coming year.
How does sitting tug of war at Tran Vu Temple take place?
The Tran Vu Temple festival is held annually on the third day of the third lunar month. The sitting tug of war ritual is the central performance, conducted to honor Saint Linh Lang, the tutelary deity of Ngoc Tri village, formerly Cu Linh commune, now part of Thach Ban ward.
The most unique aspect is the pulling posture. Participants do not stand but sit flat on the ground, with one leg bent and the other extended, using their heels as leverage. Members of the two teams sit alternately, some facing one side of the rope and some the other. The rope is made of rattan, threaded through a lim column buried in the ground.
Those selected for the teams, called "giai keo co", are aged 18 to 35, male villagers with roots in the village, excluding sons-in-law. Three teams correspond to the three hamlets: Duong hamlet, Dia hamlet, and Cho hamlet. The commander of each team is called Tong co.
Sequence of the ceremony
- From 7:30 to 8:30: teams offer incense and perform rituals.
- Around 9:00: teams offer offerings to Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu, including sticky rice, pig's head, and fruits.
- The rattan pole used for tug of war is brought out to present to the Saint. The Tong co draw lots to choose the competing pairs.
- After the presentation ritual, the teams pass the rattan pole hand to hand and go together to the pre-chosen empty ground to perform the ritual.
- The rattan rope is threaded through the lim column, the two teams take their sitting positions, and await the signal. Amid the festival drums, the tug takes place.
The attire of the tug of war participants follows specific rules: men are shirtless, wearing red shorts, red belts, and red headbands.
Why is sitting tug of war tied to water and crops?
Legend has it that Ngoc Tri village once had 12 wells. When drought occurred, only the well in Dia hamlet, also called Dia side, still had water. Young men from Duong and Cho hamlets went to Dia hamlet's well to fetch water but were stopped by Dia hamlet's men. At that time, water-carrying yokes were made of rattan. The two sides struggled over the water-carrying yoke. One side pulled, the other held, and fearing water would spill, they had to sit down and embrace the water bucket.
After the drought passed, remembering the old story, village elders devised the sitting tug of war to perform in the village festival, hoping for favorable weather. The sitting posture, the leg movements, and the holding of the rope reenact the scene of struggling over the water bucket years ago.
The harvest-praying meaning is also shown in how villagers interpret the result. According to folk belief, whichever year Duong hamlet wins, that year the villagers prosper and have good luck. This is a local belief, not a verifiable rule, but it shows the game is assigned by the community the function of predicting crop fortunes.
What is different about bamboo tug of war in Huu Chap village?
If sitting tug of war at Tran Vu Temple uses a rattan rope and sitting posture, tug of war in Huu Chap village (Bac Ninh) is tied to bamboo and a sacrificial atmosphere. This is also one of the tug of war forms inscribed by UNESCO in 2015.
The Huu Chap village ritual consists of a sacrificial part and a game part. Before the tug of war festival, villagers perform sacrifices. Then comes the ritual of lowering the rope pole. Participants are sprayed with alcohol before pulling, an act of purification and boosting morale. Village artisans reenact the ritual and game in the traditional sequence.
The spiritual highlight of Huu Chap tug of war is honoring collective strength. The result is not read as a personal omen but as a symbol of community solidarity against nature.
How do these two forms of tug of war differ?
| Criteria | Sitting tug of war at Tran Vu Temple | Bamboo tug of war in Huu Chap village |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Thach Ban ward, Long Bien district, Hanoi | Huu Chap village, Bac Ninh province |
| Time | Third day of the third lunar month | Village festival according to tradition |
| Equipment | Rattan rope, threaded through a lim column buried in the ground | Bamboo rope pole, with a ritual of lowering the pole |
| Posture | Sitting flat, one leg bent and one extended, heels as leverage | Pulling in the village's traditional formation |
| Participants | Male villagers aged 18 to 35, with roots in the village | Village teams, with artisans reenacting the ritual |
| Accompanying rituals | Offering sticky rice, pig's head, fruits; drawing lots; presenting to the Saint | Sacrifices before the festival; lowering the pole; spraying alcohol on the team before pulling |
| Prominent meaning | Praying for favorable weather, bountiful harvests; tied to the village well legend | Honoring collective strength |
| Inscription | National heritage in 2014, part of the 2015 UNESCO file | Part of the 2015 UNESCO file |
Why did UNESCO inscribe a folk game?
UNESCO inscribed the Ritual and Game of Tug of War not for its entertainment value but because it is a living cultural practice, maintained and transmitted by a community. The 2015 file was submitted by four countries: Cambodia, South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. For Vietnam, the heritage is associated with four localities: Lao Cai, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, and Hanoi.
Sitting tug of war at Tran Vu Temple was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage on December 19, 2014, before being included in the multinational file.
Also at Tran Vu Temple, the statue of Huyen Thien Tran Vu was crafted around the 18th century, cast in solid bronze, over 4 meters tall, weighing about 4,000 kg, and recognized by the Government as a National Treasure in 2015. The tug of war ritual is thus tied to a religious space that has been ranked by the state.
Is traditional tug of war still relevant today?
The answer lies in how localities organize it. At the Tran Vu Temple festival, the organizers still maintain the annual performance of the sitting tug of war ritual so that locals and visitors from afar can admire the ancient ritual of their ancestors. A representative of the organizers said the performance aims to reenact traditional culture, expressing the aspiration for favorable weather, good crops, and a full, warm, happy life.
From a community perspective, the festival is also an occasion to strengthen solidarity, look back to roots, and educate younger generations about historical and cultural traditions. The ritual also shows the connection between people and nature and the support from one community to another.
One point to note: these values are cultural and spiritual. Participating in the festival does not imply any guarantee of finance, health, or personal fate. The belief that "if Duong hamlet wins, business prospers" is a beautiful aspect of community faith, to be understood within a cultural framework, not as a certain promise.
What are the common points of all ritual tug of war forms?
Three features stand out most clearly:
- Tied to water and crops: traditional tug of war appears in agricultural areas, where harvests depend on favorable weather.
- Has strict rules and role division: from age, roots, attire to the order of offerings, drawing lots, and taking positions.
- Results are read symbolically: winning or losing carries a message about the community, not just physical strength.
Therefore, a game thought to be just for fun is holding a part of the agricultural memory of Vietnamese people, where collective strength and the aspiration for a full year are sent into each pull.
