Farmers celebrate with Bull Races: Sangsit, Bali

By Wombat | September 9th, 2006 | No Comments

Nyoman Sutapa and Gede Bandi, both in their late 60s, looked extremely tired but happy. Their dark, wrinkled faces felt the scorching sun of the ancient coastal village of Sangsit in Buleleng regency, north Bali, some 150 kilometers north of the provincial capital, Denpasar.

It was a day of celebration. Thousands of people living in Sangsit and the neighboring villages of Bebetin, Galungan, Sawan and Bila gathered in a public “park.”

It was not a park in a sense of a green spot in an urban area. This park was a huge field filled with dry soil, temporarily transformed into a racetrack.

The people were holding a post-rice harvest celebration. They put on various activities to show their thanks for the harvest. One of the main attractions was the sapi gerumbungan, or bull races. Six teams comprising 85 farmers took part in the races.

This is a big event that the farmers prepare for all year long, training their bull regularly for race day. Throughout the year farmers will run their bulls in small, weekly races, a kind of prelude to this big race. But unlike other races, the bulls here are judged more for their aesthetic features — sturdy legs, soft skin — than their speed and strength.

Before the races begin, the bulls are decorated with colorful ribbons and silk materials, bells and other accessories.
Jockeys stand on two-wheeled carts from which they control their “teammates”. The most elegant bulls are judged for the way in which they navigate the circuit.

The sound of the bells and other accessories, called gerumbungan, help create a fun and lively atmosphere around the track.

“We hold the races purely for fun. We never think about prizes or anything. It is a kind of show of gratitude for God’s gifts,” one participant, Bandi, explained.

In addition to the bull races, farmers and their families take part in a number of other activities. But the main event is the races, which draw participants and viewers from a number of villages. Bebetin, Sangsit and the other villages in the area have been known as centers for good quality cows for centuries.

Local farmers consider their cattle not just animals, but friends. “They (the cows) work hard helping us in our rice fields,” Sutapa said.

“The majority of people here have extensive knowledge about how to raise cattle, especially cows,” Bandi added.
Their ancestors wrote down this knowledge in a manuscript called Slokan Sapi.

It contains traditional knowledge on how to breed cattle, as well as what certain marks on a cow’s body say about their physical condition. The best cattle are bred in separate locations, while the lower quality ones are sold at the local market.

Alit Kartarahardja