Best of Sumba Annual Traditional Event

Pasola Event

Pasola and many more! Check out the numerous other Traditional Event that Sumba Island has to offer through-out the year.

The Island of Sumba is host to a fantastic selection of local festivals. It’s best to check what events are on before you arrive in this beautiful island, so that you can organise your time wisely while you are here.

Without doubt, the most famous event of the year is Pasola Attraction . This festival is known around the globe and sees millions heading here to join the event.

This is a list of traditional folk customs and scheduled yearly events!

Februari - March

PASOLA

Pasola is a mounted spear-fighting competition from SouthWest Sumba and west Sumba, Indonesia. It is played by throwing wooden spears at the opponent while riding a horse to celebrate the rice-planting season. The word pasola means spear in the local language and derives from the Sanskrit sula.

According to legend, pasola originated with a woman from the village of Waiwuang. When her husband - a local leader - left home for an extended period, she believed him to be dead and eloped with a new lover from another village. After her husband returned, the woman still chose to stay with her new lover, and the two were married. To forget their leader's sadness, the people of Waiwuang held the festival of pasola.

Originally the participants rode horses and threw spears at each other in an attempt to spill blood to the ground, as a way of thanking the ancestors for a successful harvest and ensuring another prosperous rice harvest. The ritual changed over time into more of a mock battle. The spear tips are now blunt and their metal tips removed. Whereas it was once considered an honour to die during pasola, only accidental deaths occasionally occur today.

The human and horse blood which used to drench the field is now solely from sacrificed pigs, dogs, and chickens. Armed police are kept on guard to prevent fights from breaking out. Beginning in the 2010s, pasola has been promoted as a "game" for visiting spectators.

The event traditionally begins when a certain kind of sea worm swims to shore, signifying the end of the wet season and the beginning of crop-planting. Today, the elders decide on the date in advance for the sake of tourists. Pasola is always held for four weeks in February and March

June

PURUNG TA KADONGA RATU

Literally Purung Ta Kadonga Ratu means Down to Imam Valley.

Purung Ta Kadonga Queen Ceremony is a sacrifice ceremony offerings to  Umbu Sebu and Rambu Kareri the ancestors of Anakalangs ain the cave kadonga queen.

This ritual aims to ask for the blessings of 'rain' from their ancestors so that their rice crops are not dry so as not to suffer from hunger

Purung Ta Kadongan Ratu  ceremony take place in a valley located in the east of Kampung Lai Tarung, Central Sumba Districk. At this celebration, there are 2 spears used are Mehang Karaga and Loda Pari. Mehang Karaga is the symbol of Male and Loda Pari describes the female symbol.

The Spears has a length of about 6 meters. Both of these spears have their own functions and rules. Mehang Karaga describes the function of the man as the head of the family while Loda Pari illustrates the function of a woman who has an obligation to organize and maintain various types of crops including keeping the rice plants from insect pests and to organize and maintain well the harvests obtained from the fields and from the garden .

July - August

HORSE RACES

Horse races began in July and final take place in August. Those races are important for personal prestige and a good way to get money (bets are high).

August - Sept
Cultural Jamboree
A jamboree of traditional dances, costumes, music and songs occurs every year held by all distric in Sumba . You will see Kataga dance (a war dance that men perform with long knives and shields) and Negu dance performed by women.

October -  November

WULLA PODDU

Wulla Poddu is the holy monthfor Marapu adherent. From full moon of October to full moon of November, there are some prohibitions or “pamali” that must be obyed by the Marapu adherent.

On Wulla Poddu the people there are prohibited to build the house, celebrate the party, if there is a person passes away it is also prohibited to hit howl or mourned, they also prohibited to make a love with their couple, may not to repair their house especially the roof.

Also at this month, the Marapu adherent also must do fasting from consuming pig and dog. They just allow to consume vegetables, chicken and rice.

This ceremony take place in West Sumba and SouthWest Sumba

Jan - Dec

The other traditional events that still exist are Yawu (ritual ceremony to get help from the ancestors, ex. when built a traditional house, when someone is ill, or etc.), the Wedding Ritual (there are some ritual before a beloved want t get married),

Yawu is ritual ceremony that take place at night to get help from the ancestors.
Women dance around a fire in the middle of graveyard, drums beat, and the mysterious dialogue with ancestors begin :" Tahuli" speaks as advocate for humans, ancestors speak through the voice of "Dodo", all the dialogue is in a spiritual language(Bahasa adat) .
When somebody is ill, they think ancestors are angry with this person. So they want to know why and they ask to ancestors what to do to calm down the wrath of Marapu - sometimes it works! Also when they want to built a new traditional house, Humans have to ask for agreement to Marapu.

THE WEDDING

 First the men have to "knock at the door": go to the girl's village and bring animals to her father. He must comes two times again, giving much buffalos and horses at each time. Finally, he is obliged to offer a huge number of cattle and horses to be allowed to take away the girl. If it is not enough, the girl stay in her family; that's a great deal and a lot of money (or debts) to get a wife in Sumba!
Men have to bring horses, buffalos, gold and metalwork; bride have to bring pigs, dogs, ivory
and textiles. Weddings are absolutely impossible between some clan which are in bad terms, even in modern times.

BURIAL
Death is the more important event for Sumbanese and the dead men must enter in the afterworld with all he needs.
The body is dressed with several textiles and the wake last some days. During this time relatives have gathered and brought gifts (mostly animals).
The last day relatives have an endless talk to determinate the value of gifts: they are bound to a system of swaps and debts all their life.
Then they slaughter some of animals one of which is a horse that the dead man's spirit will ride in the afterworld. The body is buried with things needed and symbols of wealth.
At 19th century, slaves were still sacrificed to follow and serve the king in the afterworld.