A ceremony was held in Thach Ban ward, Hanoi’s Long Bien district on April 7 to receive a certificate of UNESCO recognition of the sitting tug-of-war games and rituals at local Tran Vu temple as part of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Tug-of-war is typically held near a communal house or shrine, two teams on either end of a rope try to tug it from the other. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony was heldin Thach Ban ward, Hanoi’s Long Bien district on April 7 to receive acertificate of UNESCO recognition of the sitting tug-of-war games and ritualsat local Tran Vu temple as part of the Representative List of the IntangibleCultural Heritage.
The ceremony took place within the annualtraditional festival of Tran Vu temple.
On this occasion, Nguyen Van Se, who hasgreatly contributed to preserving the folk games and rituals, was presented withthe President’s decision recognising him as an outstanding artisan.
Apart from Vietnam, tug-of-war games andrituals of Cambodia, the Republic of Korea and the Philippines also won UNESCO recognition.
A Vietnamese delegation is scheduled tovisit the RoK in mid-April to engage in exchanges with local tug-of-war teams.
Tug-of-warrituals and games are prevalent in the rice-farming cultures of East Asia andSoutheast Asia as a form for communities to pray for abundant harvests andprosperity. They mark the start of the agricultural cycle and often begin withcommemorative rites to local deities.
Typically held near a communal house or shrine,two teams on either end of a rope try to tug it from the other. The practice isnon-competitive, strengthening community solidarity and identity, UNECO said onits website.-VNA
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Tug-of-war is typically held near a communal house or shrine, two teams on either end of a rope try to tug it from the other. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn) 
