Pasola Festival Grounds (Wanokaka)
Lapangan Pasola Wanokaka
Sumba's most famous traditional ritual, in which hundreds of riders hurl blunt wooden spears at each other across the grassland. It honours the ancestral spirits and prays for a good harvest, and the scene is thrilling.
Pasola is an annual ritual of the Marapu faith. Riders in traditional dress mount Sumba ponies, and two teams charge at each other and hurl blunt wooden spears. Blood spilled in the contest is seen as an offering to the land. Before the ritual, at dawn, people catch the colourful sea worms known as Nyale on the beach, and the catch is read as a sign of the harvest. In West Sumba, Pasola is held in February in Kodi and Lamboya and in March in Wanokaka and Gaura. The dates are set each year by priests, so check with locals close to the time. Spectators should keep a safe distance from the field. Outside festival season, you can visit the grounds and the traditional village of Wanokaka.
Opening hours
Festival held each year in February–March
Nearby sights
- Rua Beach
- Lapopu Waterfall
- Praijing Village
- Nihi Sumba (Nihiwatu Beach)
- Tarung Village
- Marosi Beach
- Waikelo Sawah Spring
- Bawana Beach