Balinese Cockfighting – Isang Malalim na Laro sa Pamamagitan ng mga Balahibo, Madla at Pera

The cockfighting arena is ostensibly a battle of the roosters, but in reality it is a battle of the men against each other. Balinese men have a deep psychological identification with the male rooster, which is taken care of by the Balinese men in the most attentive way, with activities such as bathing, feeding and feather grooming taking up most of their time. Men use the male cock as an expression and amplification of their own symbolism, such as the spirit of “valor” and “fighter,” and this association can even be metaphorical as a symbol of the male organ. At the same time, however, cockfighting is seen as an “animal expression”, and Balinese abhor animal-like behavior; they don’t even allow babies to crawl, manifesting in myths where demons appear in animal form, and they are very indifferent to the large number of dogs that accompany them. This is why cockfighting is treated as a dual personality, loved and hated, intertwined with the idealized self of courage and the dark force of fear and hatred. This is why cockfighting is always held before natural disasters and temple festivals, as a proper hymn and sacrifice to the forces of evil.

After introducing the relationship between cockfighting and Balinese, the author starts to meticulously sort out the whole process of cockfighting. Therefore, when reading it, you always feel like you are there. Cockfighting is held in a 50-square-foot ring, starting in the late afternoon and lasting three or four hours until sunset, and consists of ten separate matches at one event. Each match follows strict rules and patterns, and these rules, along with a highly developed knowledge of chickens and cockfighting, are written on palm leaf manuscripts and passed down from generation to generation as part of the village’s overall legal and cultural tradition. The judges have absolute authority and disputes over the verdict are very rare. At the end of a fight, people’s emotions are vented, bets are paid, some people curse, and some people have the remains of the chicken, all done on the spot.