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Next: about 29 Mar 2027

Savika at Eastertide

In the Betsileo highlands of Madagascar, young men wrestle zebu bulls in contests often held around Easter and Pentecost.

Savika est un sport proche du rodéo ou de la corrida, pratiqué par les hommes du groupe ethnique betsileo, à Madagascar. Il est considéré comme un rite de passage et quiconque osera danser avec un zébu sera considéré com
Photo: Obiniaina RANDRIANADRASANA, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cattle at Savika at Eastertide

Savika is the zebu wrestling of the Betsileo people of Madagascar's southern highlands. A young man leaps at a bull, grips the hump with his arms and hangs on as long as he can while the animal tries to throw him; there is no weapon and the bull is not harmed on purpose. Savika began in the rice paddies, where zebu were driven to trample the mud before planting, and became a test of courage and a way for young men to show themselves. Matches are held at family and ancestral festivals, and many Christian Betsileo associate the season with Easter and Pentecost, when contests draw large crowds.

The breeds

ZebuMadagascar's humped cattle, central to Betsileo life and ritual.
About this page

Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Savika" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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