Broomstick Fight Tradition in Mamala and Morela

Dozens pairs of bare-chested young men in the spotlight because they are whipping back and chest of each partner with a broom stick. Their left hand holding stick, tens of palm with an average length of about 1.5 meters, while the right hand palm whip a few blades stick to each partner's body.


Young men were divided into two teams, one team is the team that whipping and another team is the team that whipped with the forward and backward movement.They do so by turns.

Blade of the palm stick leaving shreds of red blisters and bloody scratches on their backs and chests. However, no pain grimaced or moaning groan.

Uniqueness of the broomstick attractions is that the boys not looking pain to whip each other, blows, scratches and spotting blood rapidly heal  after treatment. This uniqueness makes ordinary people think that this is a mystical attraction.

This attractions can only be found in two neighboring villages, Mamala and Morella (about 35 kilometers north of the city of Ambon) and can only be found once a year, on the seventh day after Idul Fitri.

Broomstick game tradition was born in the Dutch colonial era, at the mid-seventeenth century. Broomstick fight game at first played by the captain from all over Maluku who tried to defend when attacked Dutch fort Kapapaha.

After the procession at Broomstick, the bodies of the direct participants treated with the sap of a kind of leaf (in Indonesia we say "daun jarak") that usualy planted in some garden of Ambonese. There was no grudge between them. Some visitors did not forget to pick up sticks, which was used during the procession. Some people took it as a keepsake, or it might be used to test the guts of this game with the stick when arriving home.

Click here to view a video of this traditional game.