Cockfighting is part of the Balinese landscape. Anyone who drives around the island, especially on Sundays, will see large whicker baskets contains the fighting cocks at the roadside. This is to get them used to loud noises.
I’ve been to a couple of cockfights in Kuta. There used to be a pit between Poppies I & II, and daily events at 1pm. For me the most exciting parts, was the frantic betting before the match. It was like the New York Stock Exchange on steroids, with people waving, gesturing and shouting.
Gambling is actually illegal, but the Balinese got away with it by saying it was for ‘religious purposes’, blood having to be spill, and all. That’s changed and the big cockfights are not happening, except in villages.
One fellow who understands the intricacies of a Balinese cock fight is anthroplogist Clifford James Geertz, who has an extended article on the meanings, and proceedures of the cock fight.
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