XINHUA – Cambodian villagers held a traditional ox-cart racing to celebrate the lunar New Year, which will be observed from April 14 to 16.
Convened in Chbar Mon town’s Snor I village, roughly 50 kilometres west of the capital Phnom Penh, contenders raced their ox-carts pulled by two oxen in a dirt track, as hundreds of spectators enthusiastically watched and cheered on the winners of the race.
Kampong Speu provincial governor Cheam Chansophoan said the event aimed to preserve, promote, and develop the age-old tradition, which had been left by the ancestors since ancient times.
He said a total of 67 pairs of oxen were brought to participate in this year’s race, up from 50 pairs in last year’s event.
Director of the Kampong Speu Provincial Department of Culture and Fine Arts, Sun Meanchey said the event was to conserve and safeguard this ox-cart racing tradition from extinction.
“According to the history, ox-cart racing tradition has existed for hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of years,” he told Xinhua.
