a game of kocokan

a game of kocokan

draws men and demons outside

the temple gate

Wandering around an odalan in Nyuh Kuning, I chance upon a group of men and boys dressed in white and black temple attire playing Kocokan outside the temple gate. Kocokan is a game of chance where players put money on a vinyl mat decorated with six different pictures of gods, demons or animals. This particular version depicts a sea turtle, a rooster, a crayfish, a flying fish, a crab and an eel. The dealer places three large dice marked with the same pictures in a bucket, shakes the bucket and uncovers the dice. The pictures that turn up are winners. I saw this game being played on the beach, but I am surprised to see it at a religious festival. 
          I go looking for Pak Win, an expert on Balinese culture who's always happy to explain customs to me. When I find him, he tells me that the purpose of gambling at an odalan is to draw the attention of demons away from the religious ceremonies going on inside the pura desa. Balinese believe that the world is made up of the eternal opposites, good and evil, which are both part of life. They do not strive to completely eliminate evil but rather to maintain a balance so that evil does not overpower good. The black and white checkered temple decorations and the men's white and black temple dress symbolize this balance of opposites. The "vice" of gambling serves the purpose of distracting evil spirits so that they stay outside the temple. Of course, it also attracts Balinese of all ages, especially young men and boys, who are happy to do their part by entertaining the demons.

by the road a row

by the road a row

of white cocks in bamboo baskets

waiting for a fight

In Bali cockfighting is illegal, except for religious ceremonial purposes that require an animal sacrifice. But the traditional gambling sport is still so popular that it continues to be carried on discretely. Raising fowl is not illegal, so the cocks are not kept hidden. In fact, the roadsides are lined with rows of guungan siap, cock baskets shaped like bee hives, woven from bamboo strips in a hexagonal pattern. The owners take good care of their birds, providing water and special feed, and regularly moving the cages from sun to shade and back. The reason for placing the cages near a road is to get the cocks used to noise, movement and people, so that when they are put in the fighting arena they will not run away. Several villages specialize in making cock baskets, both the large cages and the smaller baskets for carrying the cock under the arm to a fight.