November 11th is a day of Remembrance – Armistice Day – a day marked throughout French Polynesia with a gathering of locals at the Cock-Fighting, the oldest known spectator sport in the world &, as reported in my Cock-Fighting Report last year, something known to Tahitians for centuries their having arrived in Tahiti with fighting cocks aboard their massive canoes.
The numbers – both cocks & spectators – was slightly down this year ….. the competition from Raiatea which attracts competitors not only from Raiatea but also the neighbouring Tahaa would see a likely ‘jackpot’ on offer there of an amount probably approaching 4-5 times that which was likely to be the amount in Bora Bora.
Not withstanding there was a large crowd on hand in the excellent ‘local’ facilities in which this event is conducted.
A couple of shots from the fights:
The rules are clear & straight-forward but one has to laugh at the final instruction to all who participate:
After the eloquently & well-written rules comes this classic instruction to those in attendance: “Ne venez pas fouttre la merde ici”. Indeed !
