Thailand Travel Info: Buffalo Race Festival

History of Buffalo Racing

Buffalo racing is a traditional festival of Chon Buri, Thailand since 100 years ago. The day before full moon night of the eleventh Lunar month (period of Buddhist’s lent) at Wat Yai Intharam will be held this festival. In the festival has religious ceremony called “Tedmahachart” (the monks give a sermon about story of Gautama Buddha as Vessantara). Most of the owner which gifts of the Buddhist priests is farmer and gardener. They used yoke for transfering the offerings of monk such as paddy, rice, raw betel nut, coconut, banana and sugar cane etc. They decorate the cart with the curtain which made of flower. It’s very beautiful. When the cart arrive at the temple at the same time, it’s make the temple crowded with buffalos (about 26 buffalos) and people. In the afternoon, group of carter will go to the lotus pool with their buffalo which far from temple for feed their buffalo. At that time, if they want an amusement they will challenge the others for buffalo racing. The rule is you have to ride buffalos until reach the finish line for the first, the main point is you have to go along with your buffalo also if you fall from buffalo, you lose. But you know buffalo is not like a horse and it hardly to control so almost of the competitor will fall from buffalo, it’s make the audiences funny. After the racing end the winner will ride his buffalos to the market for show his power. Later year, others neighbor groups are join with this racing so it becomes a local tradition festival.

Activities in buffalo racing tradition this year are;

• Buffalo racing which classified by size • Healthy contest of buffalo • Fashion contest of buffalo which the concept is beautiful, creative and fun. • Parade of decorated cart • Others