Cockfighting is a tradition that has been going on for a very long time in Bali, it is said to have started since the time of the Majapahit Kingdom. This tradition is a combination of spiritual and cultural elements, and is deeply rooted in Balinese society.
Balinese people believe that blood should be shed in certain religious rituals, they then use chicken blood as a means. The Balinese then performed fighting cocks before starting a religious ritual to offer its blood to the gods.
What started as a religious ritual then shifted into a culture that even became a place for betting. Balinese men are very fond of cockfighting and bet on which cock will win. Of course, cockfighting has now been banned by the government for torturing animals and becoming a betting arena. But people still do it in a tacit way.
The photo above shows an old Balinese man massaging his fighting rooster in 1947.
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