Travel Report Bali, Ubud-Abangan

Travel Report Bali | Ubud - Abangan

Death of our Balinese fighting - cock

3 days cockfighting in Abangan / Ubud / Bali
from 28-30 May 2009

 

 
Our cock still had not found an rival yet and also during the next hours, no suitable partner fit to the large body of our cock. Not because he was to skillful - what nobody knew until yet - but rather, because so far no other animal corresponded to its enormous size.

Suddenly rumors reached our ears, our beloved pet had to wait until tomorrow to give his debut. Because tomorrow, only the larger calibers would be provided at the start. These were especially the gigantic Philippinos and intersections with these massive cocks. Those big birds pulled and jumped inside their baskets and it seemed they intend to destroy their cages. That should be a disturbing and perilous prospect for our beautifully curved and proud rooster. The connoisseurship in this round of cock - experts, already found a suitable word and named him "Hercules" !! Right or wrong? This remains still unanswered for today.
 

 Las Vegas in Abangan/Ubud
 

Strong cheers
 

 
Smaller cocks, so I learned, are better jumper and are capable to jump agile, fast and high over the enemy. With a quick rotation, they are able to launch a surprising attack from the back. Even the selection of knives is a science in itself and is not judged by the owner himself. This sharp weapon is fastened by experts from the team inside who are responsible to run this event.
 

Final Preparations - ready for the battle

 
The next morning 11:00 clock, the heavyweights started and we sat again on swinging planks, with excitement. Rice farmers waved their hands, money showing, and looking for a small bet and a fast profit.Hercules starts up as the first. The team at the arena knows, this is now the fighting cock of the Tamu (guest), the Orang Asing (foreigner) from the Banjar Abangan and they show me and Yuni with outstretched arms the heavy battle-ready animal. We greet back and Yuni is getting pale in the face and became suddenly stomach pain too. Maybe she foresaw already the blood in this moment or at least she was thinking of it. The deafening sound of metal gongs, beaten with a heavy wooden stick, is swinging a long time in our ears. We are nearly numb.

The two opponents pushing into a corner of the square, I cannot see nothing anymore of struggle, many heads with its Balinese Udengs (Balinese headdress) slide in front of my face, screams and shouts through the fight crowd. It smells of blood and animal carcasses. Now on the second day of struggle, already countless blood sacrifices have been made. The earthy soil of the place is already dyed red by the blood, feathers are mixed with blood, dirt, tilting and excrement. And all of a sudden, I am thinking of this all, - right now - at this crucial moment of the fight. Then I hear some elongated oooh, oooh and aaah ahhh ! Again this shrill sound of the gong.
 

The judges overlook the fight

 
Much later, we have been at home already, this sound was still vibrating in my ears. The cock is dead! Which one is it? Our beautiful, impressive Hercules, perhaps? Oh God, Now the second battle cock is falling to his side, he is dead also. He has a big wound and a lot of blood can be seen. But Hercules loses this fight. He was the first who sacrificed his blood to the gods and he helped with his fight to finish the temple in Abangan.
 

The sad end of proud cocks

Still a third day of cockfighting followed, with the bloody battles of cocks, with games and bets, with food and drinks, stories and shoptalk's, especially of course on the beloved cocks. Interesting and traditional three days in the labor-rich, simple life of Balinese farmers went to an end. Back