Soccer is a popular game among people of all ages, both young and old. This is also evident from the enthusiasm of the community during the soccer match between the Indonesian national team and the team from South Korea and most recently with the Uzbekistan team in the U-23 Asian Cup match on Monday (4/29).
In Indonesia itself, the game of soccer has also become a traditional game itself, for example the game of sepak sawut. Sepak sawut is a traditional game of the Dayak tribe that is similar to soccer in general. The thing that distinguishes sepak sawut from soccer in general is that the ball used is made from an old coconut that is peeled so that it leaves its fibrous skin. The coconut is then smeared with kerosene and set on fire.
In ancient times, sepak sawut itself was a ritual of the Dayak tribe performed when someone passed away. This is done with the aim of driving away evil spirits using fireballs. The higher the fire produced from the ball, it is believed that evil spirits are also increasingly afraid to come closer. In addition to warding off evil spirits when someone dies, sepak sawut is also said to aim to entertain the grieving family. The crowd of this game can entertain the grieving family by seeing the excitement of the game.
The way to play sepak sawut is also the same as the general soccer game. There are two goals with a field that is not much different from a futsal field. The game also consists of 2 teams, with each team consisting of 5 players, with a game duration of 2×10 minutes. The team that manages to put the ball into the opponent’s goal will be declared the winner.
The game of sepak sawut is also more beautiful because it is held at night so that the light and sparks of the fireball are clearly visible with sufficient field lighting. Nowadays, the game of sepak sawut is rarely practiced and is usually done when there are cultural events or competitions only.
