KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Under the sweltering sun here on Sunday, local villagers hosted a centuries-age tradition of ox-cart racing, attracting hundreds of onlookers.

The race was organized in Chbar Mon town's Rolaing Sangke village, some 46 km west of the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, to mark the end of the rice harvesting season and to celebrate the Khmer New Year, which starts from April 14 to April 16.

At the annual event, contestants raced their ox-carts pulled by two oxen in an 800-meter dirt track, as spectators enthusiastically watched and cheered on the winners of the race.

Sun Meanchey, director of the Kampong Speu Provincial Department of Culture and Fine Arts, said the tradition of ox-cart racing has existed in the province for centuries and local farmers have always brought their oxen to join the race every year.

"This is our intangible heritage, and if we don't pay much attention to conserving it, it will be easy to disappear," he told Xinhua. "So, we'd like to encourage farmers to continue to join the race and people to come and watch it when such an annual event is held."

Khat Sokhay, head of the Kampong Speu Provincial Oxen Association, said 38 pairs of oxen took part in this year's race, expressing his hope that more oxen would partake in the event next year.

"Since the generation of my grandparents, I have always seen this tradition of ox-cart racing at the end of the rice harvesting season," he told Xinhua. "Today, 38 pairs of oxen participated in the race."

Sokhay said the revival of this traditional sport was also for the next generations to carry on, saying that the race was for fun, not for a win nor a loss.

"As it's on the brink of disappearance, I'd like to appeal to our people to preserve this tradition from extinction and maintain it for our next generations," he added.

One of the spectators, Nhib Phanny, said he had never lost his excitement in watching the race, although he had seen it several times in previous years.

"It provides a happy moment for people ahead of the Khmer New Year and also contributes to conserving and safeguarding our old-age tradition," he told Xinhua.

"It's an amazing race, and I'm impressed with the oxen, which are beautifully adorned with headgear and small bells around their necks," he added.

The ox-cart has been a traditional tool of transport for farmers in Cambodia for centuries. However, the use of ox-cart has been now on the brink of disappearance since farmers turn to more modern modes of transport such as tractors and motorized rickshaws. Enditem

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