The Pasola Festival is an original war ritual for giving thanks to the ancestral spirits in the region of West Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara. Two groups of 25 men each, mostly from the upper and the lower village are fighting each other while riding horses and throwing their wooden spears toward the opponent.
The idea is that the blood that spills on the soil ensures a good harvest. Many tourists come to Sumba just to see this festival. The initiating prayer is lead by the Rato, a traditional priest, and after he throws symbolically his spear between the groups, the “war-game” immediately starts.
The selected proud Sumbanese men and also their horses wear traditional and colorful clothes during the ceremony. The festival is held every year in February or March in Kodi or Lamboya, unfortunately, the exact dates are not predictable, because it is decided by the Rato and announced only one or two weeks before.
Horses are the soul of Sumba. With their remarkable endurance, easy temperament, and Arabian blood, they are a coveted possession both for farm work and the Sumbanese’ love of flat racing.
Since they are easy to ride, children are often comfortable on horseback from a very young age. The sandalwood sport horses, therefore, are a highlight of strength and symbolism during the annual pasola.
The word Pasola derives from the word Sola or Hola, which means a kind of a long wooden stick used as a spear. The Sumbanese believe that the festival creates a balance between material and spiritual needs in order to live happily on earth and in heaven. It contains also a sacrificial thought so that certain bloodshed is considered to be essential.
Pasola is usually the climax of a whole series of activities to celebrate the feast Nyale. Pasola is believed to be the order of the ancestral population of adherent Marapu and expresses the essence of religion. The villages of Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara have a ritual of bloodshed and battle.
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