Hot Game
Muslim boarding schools in East Java have become famous for the football games they play on their student’s birthdays. If you are thinking there is nothing unusual about that, you are way wrong. These students play barefoot and they use a coconut instead of a ball. Not any kind of a coconut though, a flaming one! Check out this video to see how these brave guys play with fire. This game developed in a tradition of an Islamic martial art and it doesn’t test only how good the competitors are in football. The organizer says this is a true test of courage where one can easily see who has the guts and who doesn’t. The point of the whole thing is to make the competitors fire resistant so that the fire can’t harm their skin at all.
A Test Of Manhood
Flaming football has practically become a ritual experience for many young boys in Indonesia. They prepare for it physically and psychically for 21 days. They fast and pray and practice taming fire. Before the beginning of the tournament they pray a special pray and they cover their bodies with a special mixture of salt and herbs to prevent burns. The coconut that has been soaking in kerosene for 2 days is then ignited and the game can begin. Teams of 5 players toss this flaming ball around for 60 minutes and 4 to 6 coconuts burn completely during one game. There are now winners and losers here. Everybody who can stand the heat wins.
Poor Goalkeeper
As you can imagine, this game is very different then the football we are use to. Players say it is much more fun to play with the flaming ball. Video shows clearly that these brave guys are not afraid of fire. They even dribble the flaming coconut! We can only imagine how the goalkeeper must feel after receiving one of these shoots. No matter how you are intrigued by this idea, don’t try it at home!
