While cycling on the island of Samui, we passed a small round building from which we could hear the buzz of excited people. We knew that we came across a ceremony that stands quite high in the hierarchy of Thai folklore. Around the building, the natives bustled in the festive mood and there were cages with roosters everywhere, were will be the cockfight ?

Hania immediately gave up trying to test the correctness of our hypothesis, but I could not have such an important element of Thai tradition passed my nose. Despite the rather negative attitude to this type of entertainment, I pushed the moral aspect aside and went inside. As I approached the rotunda, the buzz from inside grew and before entering the animal owners looked after their pupils. After entering the building, I saw a crowd of Thai people who were watching the duel of cocks in the arena in the center of the building with bated breath. The interior resembled a small coliseum, in which there was an unbelievable fuss and mess.

I looked around and noticed only one foreigner. I was pleased that I came across something original and not made especially for foreign tourists (in a tourist-oriented Thailand are a real rarity). Preparations for the next fight were just beginning, so I decided to follow closely what was going on in the arena and around it.

Cocks’ fights have been cultivated since antiquity and were of a religious nature. It was believed that spilling rooster blood would soothe evil deities and ensure security against their anger. Today it is a good opportunity to gamble (in many countries, cock duel is illegal) and the fights themselves are very bloody and brutal. Roosters are put on one of the legs a blade (called “death claw”), which is to cause bloody cuts on the body of the opponent.

To make the wounds more visible, the roosters are shaved before the fight. The roosters themselves are kept in small wicker cages before the fight, which increases their aggression and thus fierce fighting. It is customary to fight for ten rounds and end with the death of one of the cocks.

Roosters are not chosen at random, there is a special training system (it lasts about a year) in which, for example, roosters practice with weights on their feet (to jump higher later). Cock trainers enjoy a high esteem among the public and the prizes in the highest level fights are not small.

Before the fight, just like in combat sports, roosters are weighed so that the duel takes place in the same weight category. Once the pairs for the fight are set comes time for a duel. Here again, an analogy to martial arts, the “players” are presented to the public, they are brought together again and again to exchange one bite to heat the atmosphere and increase the level of aggression. At the time of presentation, cash bets are accepted, which is probably the most important moment for the gathered except the fight itself. As it happens in this type of games you can win a lot but you will lose a lot more often. When the duel begins, a huge tumult and loud cheering begins in the stands.