Yak Racing
赛耗牛
Yak racing is a traditional sport of the Tibetans. It has elements of danger like horse racing. Anyhow the exciting scene and the happy air of Yak racing express the other aspect of it that the Tibetans desire for and pursue a happy life. And sometimes the mountainous areas in Mongolian also have the yak racing.
赛耗牛是藏族的传统体育项目。同赛马一样，赛耗牛这项体育娱乐活动也具有一定的危险性，但是无论如何，赛耗牛的激烈场面和欢快气氛也从另一个侧面反映了高原藏族群众对美好生活的憧憬和追求。另外山区蒙古族有时候也举行赛耗牛比赛。
The yaks live generally in the high and cold pastures，so they are good at walking on the steep and Jiffy mountains or the snow slopes but not at long distance running. Beside they are wildly rough，so in competition they shoulder and fight each other, or jump and give a backward kick. And some yaks are startled because of the loud cheers from the spectators to tum round and return back which makes the race more wonderful，exciting, and enjoyful.
由于耗牛一般都生活在高寒牧区，只善于在险峻陡滑的高山或雪坡上长途跋涉，而不适于长跑，再加上耗牛性野，比赛中不时拥挤争斗，腾跳掀尾，有的甚至在观众的呼喊中受惊，慌不择路，掉头返回，因而使得比赛更显精彩、热闹，观赏性极强。
Whenever the traditional festival-Wangguo Festival of the Tibetans comes in middle summer, the old city Lhasa welcomes the yak racers from different regions. It is usually carried out by the experienced herdsmen with the bad-tempered yaks. It was held on 25，November and now it is held on the Wangguo Festival(before autumn harvest) in the pastures or half pastures areas. After the foundation of the People's Republic of China，the game has developed greatly. More people have been in it and the distance of the race has been lengthened to 2，000 meters. The places in race are decided according to the time used. On the very day，the herdsmen dress up themselves and take part in the annual yak racing happily with the highland barley and the buttered tea，beef and mutton. At the beginning，the race was held in the districts or the towns and usually there were 50-60 yaks in the race. And now the race is held among the villages and there are more than 150 yaks in the race. The first ten will be awarded. The results have been improved a lot after the time record is adopted. In general it will take about 8 minutes for a yak to cover 2，000 meters.
每到盛夏时节的藏族传统节日——望果节，古城拉萨的赛场都会迎来各地的赛耗牛高手。赛耗牛通常由经验丰富的牧民驾驭性情暴躁的牦牛进行赛跑，原在11月25日进行，现在改在望果节（秋收前）。赛耗牛在牧区和半农半牧区比较盛行。新中国成立后，赛耗牛活动得到了很大发展，参加人数增多，跑距长度增长为2000米，以时间来计算名次。这一天，农牧民带着青稞酒，酥油茶和牛羊肉，穿上节日的盛装，把耗牛打扮起来，兴高采烈地参加一年一度的赛耗牛比赛。开始以区乡为单位，参加的耗牛有五六十头。现在有些地方已经扩大到以村寨为单位，参加比赛的耗牛增加到150多头，取前10名。采用时间记分以后，比赛成绩有了很大提高，一般2000米赛跑所用时间为8分钟左右。
Every yak is dressed up beautifully before race: it has red tassels on the head，colorful silk on the horns, gaily-colored ribbons on the ears and the fan-shaped Tibetan patterns on the tail. All these symbotizes lucky and contented and the yak is about to win the first place in the race. After race，the heroes will gain respect from the local masses when they win and return home. The yak that wins in the race is famous in the locals and enjoys special treatment from his master.
参加比赛的耗牛赛前都要经过主人的精心打扮：头顶一簇红缨，牛角悬挂各色彩绸，耳上有鲜艳的条饰，尾巴上系着扇形的藏绘，象征吉祥如意、夺魁在即。而骑手们则大多头戴礼帽、身着藏袍站立一旁，顿显英姿飒爽。每次比赛结束后，获胜的骑手回到家乡，都会像英雄一样受到当地群众的尊敬，在比赛中取胜的耗牛也将名扬一方，受到主人特殊的待遇。
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