臺北市新住民專區網站英文版

When we’re talking about a running of the bulls, many people think of Spain, but did you know that Indonesia also has running of the bulls festival? Pacu Jawi is a running of the bulls event in Padang, Indonesia that takes place every year after the harvesting season. Pacu Jawi was traditionally a festival to celebrate the end of the harvest. It is also a day for the households to show off the power of their bulls so that they might sell the bulls for a good price. In recent years, the festival is becoming a bigger event. The bull race event even attracts participants from different villages for the race.
Different from the bull running events in Spain, Pacu Jawi focuses on the ability of the participants to control the bulls. In the race, a participant stands on a wooden plank or a frame, and holds the bulls by their tails. When the bulls race through muddy rice field, the jockey has to try and maintain balance, while paying attention to the direction of the bulls, and keep the bulls going in the same direction. Some participants would even bite the bulls’ tails to make the bulls run faster.
The fierce competition would often result in participants covered in mud, and not even the spectators can escape being splashed with muddy water.