Makepung consists of two to three pairs of male buffaloes, each pulling a small cart.
According to the elders in this area, this tradition originated from the activities of the ancestors in the past when they transported rice plants from the fields to their homes.
When leaving for the fields, the unloaded carts would be made lighter by a pair of buffaloes.
This is where the trained riders start pitting the buffaloes against each other until the convoy turns into a chariot race to the harvest site.
This post-harvest chariot race later inspired the Makepung tradition in Jembrana.
However, the tools used to beat the buffaloes are no longer whips, but rattan sticks.
The carts used are also not large carts like when transporting the harvest, but small carts that are only enough for the jockey.
[ED/AY]
