Bali’s Wet and Muddy Buffalo Race
ARTISTRY from the traditional Balinese is varied and also very diverse. In Jembrana (West Bali) they have many examples of traditional art among which is Jegog (a beautiful form of traditional dance) and Makepung (the art of buffalo racing). Why might you ask is Makepung a traditional art form? Well because of its highly decorated, colorful buffalo and jockeys plus its traditional significance to mark the end of the rice harvest.
Another form of buffalo racing in Jembra- na is Makepung Lampit where the buffalo race is held in wet muddy rice fields. Unlike Makepung which celebrates the end of the rice harvest, Makepung Lampit is to mark the start of the rice season – the planting of the rice. So before the planting of the rice, they race the buffalo in the wet muddy fields. The Lampit is a farming tool used to level the rice field and the buffalo race with the Lampit attached.
The Makepung Lampit race was held at Peh’s Subak rice field acreage in Jembrana, Kaliakah Village, in the district of Negara. Dozens of pairs of buffalo with their head crown brightly decorated raced the circuit which is 200 meters long. Like traditional horse racing a special whip is used to encourage the buffalo to gallop as fast as they can. After all, this is a race.
You can imagine the excitement and thrill of this event with the jockey and brightly decorated buffalo racing in wet muddy rice fields and the mud flying everywhere. They end up covered in wet mud which also includes the spectators becoming wet and muddy.
This interesting and unique art form draws dozens of locals and tourist spectators plus many photographers. This event is such a great spectacle to capture through the lenses of a camera or video. Gede Sudaya from traveling
BALI media took this opportunity to capture this amazing event alongside of some famous photographers Deniek G Sukarya and Mario Blanco.
After the race, one jockey expressed that he felt very happy as he was not just there to be a champion and win the race but also to maintain the tradition of Makepung Lampit that inspires a spirit of mutual cooperation amongst Jembrana farmers and the workers of the rice fields.
A rich local tradition that is well worth attending if you just happen to be visiting Bali when the Makepung Lampit race is taking place, usually just twice a year.
