Wrestling is the competition which was often held at village festivals in the spring, in the courtyard of the communal house (in a place called xới vật). Certain training centers (lò vật) were famous for the training of good wrestlers (đô vật) specializing in a number of tactics (miếng vật). At the competition, the village displayed prizes in front of the communal house. There were three main prizes (giải chính) awarded on the main day of the festival, as well as secondary prizes (giải hàng). In the ring, wrestlers wore red, green, or yellow loincloths. Before combat, they prayed to the tutelary god of the village. The opponents faced each other. A beat of the gong started the fight. Often a night watchman beat a drum nearby to encourage them. The matches, very long sometimes, ended only when one fighter succeeded in throwing his opponent onto his back or lifting him in the air. The end of the match was marked by drumbeats (usually nine in succession). Now, wrestling has become a sport.
