PASOLA: SUMBA FESTIVAL

Pasola is traditional war, riding the horses while holding the dull wooden spear attacking the opponents. All the the participants who are professionals around 50 men divided into two groups and assaulting each other. This tradition of Sumba people in NTT of eastern indonesia is quite dangerous, because it can cause wound even it may result to the death of the participant. If this may happen, local people believe that it's the punishment of gods to that person for the sins he committed thus he deserves for his death. 

Pasola, commonly known as pasola sumba festival is derived from the words SOLA which means wooden spears, used to attack the opponents while riding the horse and running from  opposite direction.

This pasola tradition is perpetrated by sumbanese who are stick to traditional religion called marapu. This high skill game is basically made to express gratitude to gods for the harvest season. This traditional game is so extreme to that the dull wooden spears piercing to the bare flesh and flowing out blood is believed to fertilize the land. Before the held of pasola, ratu nyale will pray on their midst and immidiately followed by the horsemen throwing spears each othe. This really exhibit sympathetic and unique culture of sumbanese.

Pasola is inherent local belief to the power of nature and to make pasola happen, the appointed priest of sumbanese must go to the beach, bringing black cock to perform prayer to the god simply to find the right time for pasola to be done. The priest will slaughter the cock and looking at its inside to see the sign which they believe to be the answer of their petition or prayer.

Furthermore, the exact time or month of pasola is always changing depending of the full moon of month february. The priest who conduct called ratu nyale decides the best time during month of february after reading full moon signs. He will go to the beach to take the sea worms  about the right time for pasola.  The culture and consideration of ratu nyale is so important to decide the pasola festival. Meanwhile the kinds of sea worms believed to determine the success of harvest season. If the sea worm is big and healthy, it sign successful abundant harves and vice versa.

Pasola its self is opened with nyale tradition which is the bringing of seaworm to the assembly of the ratus to prove the worms, analyze its form and color.

Pasola is held in two different places in sumba which are west sumba and east sumba.

It's exactly done in lamboya and kodi. The conncestion of nature and human is the main principle behind pasola. Sumbanese believes that the balance between human's concepts and the nature will guarantee secure life on  earth and heaven.

Right now, pasola is promoted to be the main asset of tourism festival in sumba. To see pasola will trigger the amazement of the rich of culture of local people of sumba. AS it's now commonly known, pasola is promoted as one of cultural asset and done during important ceremony of government as to promote pasola widely known.