Every spring, many mountainous villages in Thanh Hoa are bustling with cultural activities associated with the life, work and activities of ethnic minorities. In particular, traditional spring sports are contributing to "keeping the fire" of that beauty.
Coming to Nhu Thanh on the days before Tet At Ty 2025, we felt the joyful and bustling atmosphere of the ethnic people here. Besides preparing for a full and complete traditional Tet, the ethnic people of the district actively prepare for cultural and sports activities on this occasion.
Visiting Mr. Luong Hong Kim's family in Thanh Son village, Thanh Ky commune, we learned that he and his son Luong Hong Chi are two of the outstanding athletes who have participated in many crossbow competitions. While repairing crossbows and sharpening new arrows, Mr. Kim shared: He and his family of many generations love crossbow shooting. This is a traditional sport that has been closely associated with the lives, labor and activities of the people. After hours of hard work, being able to exchange and compete in crossbow shooting not only helps people satisfy their passion, but also allows them to exchange and compete, creating a joyful atmosphere and strengthening the solidarity of the people. To participate, it is necessary to have a standard crossbow, a durable string to create a strong shooting force, and most importantly, to achieve the highest accuracy for each shot. Arrows are similar in that they must be made from the right material, carefully sharpened and must undergo test shooting and adjustment to achieve the best results.
Crossbow shooting has long been popular during the Lunar New Year in 11 mountainous districts of the province. This is also a long-standing traditional sport and is indispensable in traditional festivals, festivals, and cultural festivals of localities throughout the year. This is also an important content of the Thanh Hoa Province Ethnic Sports Festival.
Besides crossbow shooting, pole pushing requires participants (athletes) to have both physical strength and power, as well as dexterity and good competition tactics to win. Divided into weight categories for both men and women, pole pushing is the sport with the largest number of athletes participating among national sports. Pole pushing competitions always receive enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
While crossbow shooting and stick pushing require individual ability and dexterity, tug of war must rely on the strength of the collective. Each member of the tug of war team must have good physical strength and physique to create a powerful collective. This collective sport is also the strength of the sports movement in many mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa. This is also an indispensable content in sports activities in early spring; it is an important competition content of grassroots sports congresses, competitions, and cultural and sports festivals of mountainous localities of Thanh Hoa. The beauty of this sport is the spirit of solidarity, collective strength and is always attractive in competitions.
Adding to the traditional spring sports picture is the game of throwing con. Originating as a love game of ethnic minorities, throwing con still retains its original beauty to this day. In the early days of spring, especially during the traditional New Year, young men and women in traditional ethnic costumes enthusiastically compete, skillfully throwing con balls through the high circle. In addition to love games, throwing con also has the meaning of praying for good crops and the growth of all things...
Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Duy Tu said: Preserving and promoting the value of traditional ethnic sports is always a key task in developing the province's sports career. Crossbow shooting, shuttlecock throwing, stick pushing, tug of war and volleyball are still official competitions at the commune, town and district level sports festivals in mountainous areas, as well as at the provincial Sports Festival. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and localities will continue to implement many solutions such as strengthening facilities, training and competition grounds and maximizing the effectiveness of cultural and sports institutions at the grassroots level, as well as organizing more and more playgrounds and tournaments, so that athletes not only in mountainous districts but also encourage localities in the plains and coastal areas to participate in competitions. This is the driving force to promote the development of the sports movement in Thanh Hoa province in the new development stage, meeting the increasing needs of the people.
Article and photos: Manh Cuong
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/suc-song-cac-mon-the-thao-truyen-thong-238004.htm
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