(written August 17) On August 17, Indonesia celebrated her 63rd year of independence from the Dutch.  At different points in history, Java, Bali’s island neighbor to the west, has been under the control of France, Britain and other European countries, but the Dutch ultimately controlled the entire East Indies through much of the 19th Century until August 17, 1945.  For more about Indonesia’s history and independence, check out this link.http://www.baliblog.com/travel-tips/indonesian-independence-day.html. 

Panjat Pinang - Ubud's two poles

To celebrate, I went to the Ubud soccer field to watch the traditional game panjat pinang which literally means climbing the palm tree.   Here is an excerpt from an article in the Jakarta Post on August 16 about the game: 

“Aug. 17 in many parts of Indonesia is an occasion for joyful activities in which citizens from all levels of society participate in our traditional Independence Day games. The most popular game is undoubtedly the panjat pinang (climbing the slippery pole) competition.

The panjat pinang competition is often the highlight of Independence Day celebrations, and individuals and groups struggle together to reach the top of a greased pinang (betel) nut palm trunk where they reach the prizes which might be anything from a set of keys to a new motorcycle to towels and plastic buckets.

It is unclear where and when the panjat pinang competition originated but it has probably been a part of the Independence Day celebrations since early on. There are generally no rules regulating the pinang trunk climbing competition, but the challenge of the game makes cooperation and strategy an essential requirement of success. It is impossible to climb up the 5 to 8 meter slippery pole on your own. The only way to reach the top is to team up and create a human pyramid around the base of the pole.

In this way, the lightest member of the team can climb on the shoulders of his teammates and reach the top without having to scale too far up the greasy pole. Cheers, jubilation and chaos usually reign the moment the winner begins to throw down prizes from the top of the pole.

prizes at the top of the pole

Many Indonesians agree that the greased pinang trunk climbing competition quintessentially captures the spirit of Indonesian independence. The struggle for independence is similar to the struggle to reach the top of the slippery pinang pole. Circumstance and necessity obliged people to team up and organize and the majority of the people happily let a small minority stand on their shoulders to reach for the prizes of independence. Moreover, those who reach the pinnacle must throw down the prizes to share with everyone on the ground.”

Click here to see a video of the Indonesian Panjat Pinang game.

After all the prizes from the poles were cut down and the Panjat Pinang game was over, the students, dressed in their sharp uniforms, assembled on the field while the marching band entertained us. It was starting to sprinkle so I sought shelter for me and my camera gear on a chair under a canopy set up in the center on one side of the field.  Although I had no idea what was going to happen, instinct told me not to sit in the front so I sat in the second row.  

the King of Ubud

Shortly after I sat down, a few men dressed in various types of military uniforms assembled in the front row. Soon after a very well dressed and groomed man walked up and was clearly given very deferential treatment by the others.  He sat down with the men in the front row about 6 feet from me.  I could tell he was important and began to suspect I was near royalty.  Sure enough, when I asked some people seated nearby, they confirmed his identity as the King of Ubud. Whatever ceremony was about to take place had not yet began so I boldly took the opportunity to seek a quick audience (oh yes I did!) and ask permission to take a photo. The King was gracious and posed for a portrait. 

Right after I took my seat, two beautiful well-dressed ladies took seats right in front of me. You guessed it.  I was seated immediately behind the Queen!  I waited until after the ceremony to take her portrait, but I couldn’t resist documenting her lovely hair clip in the meantime.  After all, I had the perfect vantage point. 

Beside being a great source of laughs, the day was a photographer’s smorgasbord.  I’ve experienced so much in the past few days in Ubud that I’ve been rather long-winded in my blogs lately. Today I think I’ll give it a rest and just let the pictures do the talking.  I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them.
 
(In addition to the following photos, you can see more of this event on the “Photos of Her Adventure” page of this blog.)
 

panjat pinang ... a group effort

stepping up

no fun on the bottom

men climbing the pole in Panjat Pinang

checking out the goods

lowering the shoes

one of many uses for the zillion motos in Ubud

sate

rice packets ready to boil

monkey boy

queen of ubud (middle)

dancing girls

dance performance

lost in snack world

drink cart

little guy

boys in traditional clothing

school chums