Animal Sacrifices

From Illegal to Compulsory Cockfights

Another form of animal sacrifice is the cockfight, which takes place in the temple's outer courtyard, or in a spe­cial cockfighting pit. Like other pleasures in life (such as music, theatre, and lively ceremonies), this supremely male sport has long been part of religious ritual. The spilling of blood is considered necessary to appease the disruptive energies or "demons". But beyond the ritual millions of rupiah are won and lost in the amazingly quick gambling that takes place during the fights.

During the New Order, from 1966 to 1998, all form of gambling were forbidden and most cockfighting was illegal. Only a few fights were allowed for ritual purposes They took place in the outer courtyard of the temple o in family courtyards, with the men in temple dress. A police permit was required and no gambling was allowed

In the new era of decentralisation, gambling is back with a fury. Village communities organise cockfights to raise money for the village coffers. Since the income is used to restore temples or other public buildings - including cockfighting pavilions - the gambling is justifie_ in the name of local traditions. Some villages even make it a duty for all men to participate in these "cultural" cockfights. Those who don't attend, or don't bring a well-groomed, duly aggressive cock, are subject to embarrassingly large fines.

Obviously, the revival of this tradition was not go :A news for the cocks - not to mention the thousands o, Balinese families who, every year, lose their life savings around the gambling pit. Besides foreigners, a number 3 Balinese, especially intellectuals and modern Hindu reformists, object to compulsory cockfighting and animn sacrifices. Yet most scholars agree that these rituals ar; deeply rooted in Bali 's view of the world. Hence if any changes take place, they may need to come from with -, at a pace acceptable by the many Balinese who hold tha: animal sacrifices are needed for rituals to be effective - and can't imagine life without a good cockfight.