Water Buffalo racing as a sport
The humble water buffalo is a proud and interesting animal. It has been used in developing countries for many years for agricultural purposes and as a milk and food source.
People, being the fun loving sort they are, also turned to the water buffalos and created a sport with them. Water buffalo racing has been around for many years and today takes places in many different countries around the world.
The sport has many variations but the most prominent is where people mount buffalos and race against other buffalos to the finish line. This interesting sport is a great attraction for viewers and hundreds of people can be seen cheering on the sidelines.
It will be interesting to see whether this strange cultural sport can spread beyond the confines of the countries it takes place in today.
There are several water buffalo races that take place all over the world. A lot of these have the same sort of origin story; about one hundred years ago, two men who were leading their buffalos in a field got into an argument as to which buffalo was faster.
They then commenced to have a race while riding their buffalos and in this way buffalo racing was born.
This story has taken on a legendary dimension and it led to festivals taking place around the events of that day. People now come from far and wide to see the spectacle that is water buffalo racing.
One of the biggest water buffalo festivals that takes place in the world happens in Thailand. The Chon Buri Water Buffalo Racing Festival is attended by thousands of people. Almost 300 buffalos take place in the races and they compete in groups of 5 or 6
and the winner advances to the next round all the while being cheered on by hundreds of fans.
As water buffalos have always been important to agriculture in Thailand, the festival has taken on a cultural relevance to the people of the area. In Thailand there has been an alarming decline in the number of buffalos over the years and this festival helps
to preserve the numbers of the animal.
Water buffalo racing festivals also take place in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Borneo and India. In India, a muddy water buffalo race takes place which sees riders on a platform being dragged along by two buffalos through muddy water. The interesting aspect
of this race is that it is simply not about finishing the race first but it is also about raising the water to the highest level possible.
The racing is very enthralling and the excitement levels of the crowd can reach frenzied proportions. The whole event, like the other races that take place in other countries has taken on the atmosphere of a festival with music, dancing and other festivities
on display, besides the racing.
Water buffalo racing seems to be very popular in developing countries where agriculture has or currently plays a big part in the economy and livelihood of the people. Since water buffalos are an integral part of agriculture in these countries, it makes sense
that these same animals would be used in races.
The interesting use of an animal that is sometimes considered sacred in some of these countries shows us that sports can take on many different shapes and forms according to diverse and unique cultures. For instance in India during the muddy buffalo races,
the buffalos are washed and cleaned and cared for prior to the start of the race.
In other countries, racing buffalos are specifically bred to win races. They are lighter and smaller than those buffalos used in agriculture because they need to be quick and cannot be carrying a lot of extra weight on them when racing.
The world is full of very interesting sports that people in other countries have never heard of. Maybe one day soon because of its huge potential as a spectator sport, water buffalo racing will become the next big animal sport after horse racing and greyhound
racing. Whether that day comes or not, we will have to see but for the moment this interesting sport continues to capture the imagination of people in several Asian countries and looks set to do so for the foreseeable future.
Tags: