I met two men yesterday. Within 5 minutes of being introduced to me they’d got out their cocks and were proudly showing them off . Anywhere else in the world this might seem rather forward but this is Bali and on Bali things are done a little differently.
I was delighted to see their cocks but also a little nervous as to what they planned to do with them. This is after all cockfighting country. As it happened the cocks had been brought out for grooming and to get some sunshine. As these two handsome fowl were introduced, I could see that feathers might fly if they were allowed to fight.
The tradition of cockfighting in Bali goes back hundreds of years. When I was doing my research for this post, I found this link.
http://webhome.idirect.com/~boweevil/baliwasantara.html
If you are interested in learning more about the significance of cockfighting in Bali I recommend that you read it. I know that there will be some of you reading this who will find the whole notion of cockfighting totally unacceptable and I understand. It’s not something that rests easy with me either. However, it is not for me to pass judgement or wag fingers. I write and photograph what I see and as cockfighting is part and parcel of Balinese life then it has a much a place on this blog as all the other things that I write about and visually catalogue.
