The organising committee of the festival said the annual festival will no longer take place in the front yard of Lai An Village’s pavilion, where it has been staged for hundreds of years.

On February 23, the province held the wrestling festival on a stage temporarily set up on a paddy field in Lai An Village, which is located in Phu Vang District in Thua Thien-Hue province.

The event, held annually on the 10^th day of the new Lunar New Year, requires no stage or stadium. Wrestlers compete on a bare yard with shouting crowds encircling the area.

The village’s Committee of Old-aged People on February 23 had a ritual ceremony to worship the “wrestling saint”, refusing to move the procession to the stage.

The village is also famous for its traditional ritual paintings, known as Sinh Village paintings, which are printed on carved wooden blocks. The handicraft paintings are used as part of the ritual ceremonies.

Here are some photos: