Race of the Bulls!

Syarifah Hana Alhaddad
Artikel oleh : Syarifah Hana Alhaddad
Foto oleh : Hana Alhaddad
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There is nothing more breathtaking than witnessing a bull race. I’m talking about literally losing my breath at the sight of bulls racing each other even if i’m not part of it. But a bull will always be what it is: an animal with no self-control regardless of the situation they are in. It’s a rather daring competition to witness, but it sure was thrilling. 

Visiting Padang, West Sumatra, there are a lot of tourist attractions that one can see. For all its worth, this city is famous for its rich historical background, and forgive me god, their endless mouth-watering foods that seem to be one of the top priorities for anyone visiting Padang. Of course, the to-do-and-to-see list goes on and on, but I never thought that when I visited the city myself, Pacu Jawi would be on that list.

It was a sudden trip. I was on a photography tour and the guide suggested that we see this Pacu Jawi event because it’s a great photo object and that it’s one the most anticipated event in his village.

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Generally what Pacu Jawi is, it’s a traditional bull race of the Minangkabau people, celebrated by farmers at the end of harvest. There are a few differences of which this race is celebrated. The one I visited in Payakumbuh, on the outskirts of Padang, raced with a jockey controlling a single bull using a bamboo strapped around the bull’s neck. 14 races are established in a day with more or less, 8 bulls in the competition. What makes it even more fun and somewhat dramatic, is that the race is held on the actual muddy fields where the harvesting took place. The adrenaline rush however is not how the race is held but the risks it withhold. As I mentioned before, bulls are totally inconsiderate animals, because well, I guess they are not capable of being so. At any given time during the race, spectators can never really be sure whether a bull will stay on their track or the sheer possibility that they might rage about and attack the audience. This however, is where the actual thrill began.

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During the race, a part of me was very much concerned with my life. If a bull were to attack me I can 1) be severely injured, 2) face death, or 3) hope that miracle comes through, which stops the bull from attacking me. Yet seeing the amount of audiences that were actually watching the race, I felt a little comforted as they might as well be a regular here, and they don’t seem to have been harmed in any way. Well, at least that’s what I convinced myself. Luckily, no one was hurt, but there sure were moments where things could have been fatal.

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Notice the picture? This was taken when the bull was furious and decided to go another way. A way that just so happens to be where I was standing. I was terrified. Then I thought, I needed to commemorate this moment and so intuitively, I took pictures. What follows next is the content feeling I had for making it through as the jockey managed to stop his bull from ambushing us and the fortunate turn of events where everyone is thankfully safe. Suddenly, everything becomes worth it. That fear that was once hanging at the top of my lungs have lifted to my brain in what becomes a lifetime memory.

In the end, experiencing this Pacu Jawi firsthand, I began to understand why there are so much anticipation awaiting this event. It’s a moment of euphoria for farmers as they welcome the new harvest season. More than that, it’s a moment that brings the whole village together to show their integrity towards farmers. Yet, no matter how much I choose to romanticise this moment, there will always be a part of me that feels like the audience should also get their credits for staying through. Now, I’m not an adrenaline junkie. So even if i’m not in the race, me sticking through the whole race without chickening out, was actually plausible. 

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