Inside Bali’s Spectacular Spear Ritual in Munggu

The Balinese are among the kindest people in the world. Even a verbal argument — let alone a fight — is very rare among the island’s local people.

But once every 210 days in Munggu, dozens of local men pick up long sticks and face off against each other. This is how the traditional Mekotek ritual begins. 

Young men with sticks start arriving from nearby villages just after lunch. Teenagers are the first to appear. Their sticks are shorter, and they do not seem quite ready for any serious clashes yet. 

Meanwhile, spectators are already gathering along the road, as are fast-food sellers, of course. After all, wherever there are lots of Balinese people, there will need to be plenty of food too...

The police are also on duty at the site. Later, it becomes clear that law enforcement is definitely not unnecessary at a ceremony like this… Meanwhile, the square in front of the temple fills with Mekotek participants. It begins completely unexpectedly. Several dozen young men run together into a crowd, and the long sticks they have brought with them form a pyramid. Then the most interesting part begins.

To the shouts of the crowd and lively traditional music, the participants in this human pyramid begin a light mosh. The dozens of sticks turn into a swaying tower that looks ready to collapse at any moment. The most vulnerable part of the whole process turns out to be the overhead wires, which cannot withstand the pressure and simply snap. Someone in Munggu is probably going without electricity today. Or Wi-Fi. Or both…

From time to time, the excited young men lose control of the stick structure and it falls, covering those who did not manage to jump out of the way.

And here comes the climax. The bravest warrior climbs to the top of this shaky, swaying structure of sticks. He balances several metres above the ground, shouts battle cries and fires up the crowd. 

By the way, the Mekotek ritual is already many centuries old. Back in the 17th century, it was used to welcome Balinese warriors returning victorious after a difficult war in East Java. At that time, however, the spears were real, with metal tips. 

When the Dutch arrived, the spectacle frightened them so much that Mekotek was banned. But Munggu then immediately suffered a series of misfortunes — disease, drought and a terrible crop failure. The locals decided it was a curse from the spirits, rebelled and demanded that the tradition be brought back. 

To see Mekotek for yourself, you can come to Munggu, which is very close to Canggu. The festival takes place once every 210 days according to the Balinese Pawukon calendar, during the Kuningan holiday. The ritual takes place right on the main street, near the main temple, Pura Puseh Lan Desa Adat Munggu, and the main action starts at 13:30.