March 24, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). A kid rides a horse on the beach in front of Wainyapu. The remote village is situated along the west coast of Sumba island, and is one of the location of the centuries-old harvest festival known as Pasola. The festival involves two teams of men on horseback charging towards each other while trying to hit their rivals with 'pasol' javelins and avoid being hit themselves. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 24, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Matthias (center) is the person who's taking care of the Christian rituals for the community. Even if the villagers continue to mantain some of the ancient Marapu traditions, such as the Pasola, they're officially Christians and they tend to mix the two beliefs in a very unique way. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 24, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter (15) helps his family making banana sweets for Good Friday. Christian occurrences - such as Christmas and Easter -are celebrated in Wainyapu but are mixed with the traditional Marapu elements such as animal sacrifices and ancestral dancing. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 24, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Kids wait outside the small church of the village for the end of the mass held the night before Good Friday. Even if the villagers continue to mantain some of the ancient Marapu traditions, such as the Pasola, they're officially Christians and they celebrate Easter and Christmas, mixing the two beliefs in a very unique way. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 24, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). John (center) performs a traditional dancing during the mass hold the night before Good Friday in the small church of the village. John is a veteran of many Pasola. He started when he was just 15 and he's now riding the "Halato", one of the two horses that are used to open the festival. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter cleans the body of a dog that has been sacrificed for the Good Friday. In rotation, each family in the village provide animals such as pigs, chickens and dogs for being sacrificed during religious ceremonies such as Christmas, Easter, funerals or weddings. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Villagers cut the bodies of two pigs and a dog that have been sacrificed for the Good Friday. In rotation, each family in the village provide animals such as pigs, chickens and dogs for being sacrificed during religious ceremonies such as Christmas, Easter, funerals or weddings. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Woman and girls perform a ritual dancing during the mass hold for Good Friday in the small church of the village. Christian occurrences - such as Christmas and Easter -are celebrated in Wainyapu but are mixed with the traditional Marapu elements such as animal sacrifices and ancestral dancing. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Food is brought inside the small church of the village to celebrate Good Friday. In rotation, each family in the village provide animals such as pigs, chickens and dogs for being sacrificed during religious ceremonies such as Christmas, Easter, funerals or weddings. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). John - a veteran of many Pasola - bradles his horse. He started participating in the Pasola when he was just 15 and he's now riding the "Halato", one of the two horses that are used to open the festival. Behind John, the tombs where the bodies of the ancestors of the villagers are buried. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter (15) practices with the 'pasol' javelins ahead of the first Pasola that will be hold the day after in the village of Ratenggaro. Peter participated in the Pasola for the first time 3 years ago and rides a horse that belongs to his uncle. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Villagers gather inside the house of the "Rato" - the traditional priest leader - singing a traditional song to call the "Nyale" - a sea worm that normally appears on the shore on Pasola day. The number of nyale collected is believed to be a sign of the richness of the farmers’ next harvest season. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 25, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). View of the traditional Sumbanese houses of the village. The central part of the construction is used as a chimney. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 26, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). John helps his nephew Peter to get dress up for the first (of the three) Pasola hold in the nearby village of Ratenggaro. The warriors are not wearing any protection against the spears, just a sarong tightly rolled around the abdomen. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 26, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter prepares his horse for the first (of the three) Pasola hold in the nearby village of Ratenggaro. Peter participated in the Pasola for the first time 3 years ago and rides a horse that belongs to his uncle. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 26, 2016 - Ratenggaro (Indonesia). Pasola riders throw their spears hoping to strike a member of the opposing clan. Riders are grouped into 2 teams, based on their traditional clans. The aim of the Pasola is to throw blunted wooden spears at the opposition riders while trying to avoid their counter attacks. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 26, 2016 - Ratenggaro (Indonesia). Peter looks at the field where his team members are fighting. Peter is 15 years old and he participated in his first Pasola just 3 years ago. He confessed that he loves riding but he's still very scared of being hit by a spear and get injured. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 26, 2016 - Ratenggaro (Indonesia). A rider who just got hit by a spear in the head , is surrounded by members of his clan. The festival can be really dangerous for its participants and fatal injuries still do occurs. Furthermore, Sumbanese believe that blood will fertilize the land and produce a better harvest. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 26, 2016 - Ratenggaro (Indonesia). After a couple of hours of fighting, members of the two teams started throwing stones at each other, resulting in police shooting tear gas to prevent further violence. Many Pasola festivals ended violently in the past, and nowadays police and army are deployed to prevent clashes. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 27, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter watches his uncle John preparing the Pasolas, the wooden spears used for the festival. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 27, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter and his uncle John cut grass and corn to feed their horses in a field outside the village. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 27, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). John cleans his horse in the river that divides Wainyapu and Ratenggaro. He started participating in the Pasola when he was just 15 and he's now riding the "Halato", one of the two horses that are used to open the festival. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter's family woke up early and prepare breakfast before heading to the nearby beach to collect the "Nyale", multicolored sea worms, which appear only once each year and that are used for the opening ceremony of the Pasola. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Peter's family walk to the nearby beach to meet with the other villagers and collect the "Nyale", multicolored sea worms, which appear only once each year and that are used for the opening ceremony of the Pasola. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Villagers look at the shore with the hope of finding some "Nyale", multicolored sea worms, which appear only once each year and that are used for the opening ceremony of the Pasola. Unfortunately they couldn't find any. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Waiha (Indonesia). A rider gets hit by a spear thrown by an opponent. Riders are grouped into 2 teams, based on their traditional clans. The aim of the Pasola is to throw blunted wooden spears at the opposition riders while trying to avoid their counter attacks. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Waiha (Indonesia). Spectators wait for the beginning of the second Pasola in the village of Waiha a few km outside Wainyapu. Even if considered by manys as a just training ahead of the big Pasola of Wainyapu, Waiha's festival is stills a good opportunity for the fighters to warm it up. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Waiha (Indonesia). A rider throwns a spear towards an opponent. Riders are grouped into 2 teams, based on their traditional clans. The aim of the Pasola is to throw blunted wooden spears at the opposition riders while trying to avoid their counter attacks. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). The evening before the big Pasola of Wainyapu, Peter's mother and sisters participate together with all the female villagers in a blessing ceremony lighting up candles and offering betel nuts to the tombs of their ancestors The tombs are normally built a few meters outside the houses as the villagers believe their ancestors will protect them. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 28, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Hundreds of members of the families of the villagers flock into Wainyapu the night before the beginning of the Pasola. The festival is not only a religous tradition, but it also represents a unique social opportunity for the families to stay together. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). The big day of the Pasola is finally arrived and before dusk Peter walks back to the beach together with the other villagers to collect the "Nyale", multicolored sea worms, which appear only once each year and that are used for the opening ceremony of the Pasola. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Before dusk villagers flock into the near beach in order to collect the "Nyale", multicolored sea worms, which appear only once each year and that are used for the opening ceremony of the Pasola. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). A villager shows some "Nyale" he was able to collect in his bucket. The Nyale" is a multicolored sea worms, which appear only once each year and that are used for the opening ceremony of the Pasola. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Before dusk villagers flock into the near beach in order to collect the "Nyale", multicolored sea worms, which appear only once each year and that are used for the opening ceremony of the Pasola. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). John rides his horse around the village to call out the people for the beginning of the Pasola. John started participating in the Pasola when he was just 15 and he's now riding the "Halato", one of the two horses that are used to open the festival. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Hundreds of people flock into Wainyapu to assist the Pasola. Riders are grouped into 2 teams, based on their traditional clans. The aim of the Pasola is to throw blunted wooden spears at the opposition riders while trying to avoid their counter attacks. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Riders wait to start a new wave of attacks. A skilled rider can duck an incoming spear and the very best of them can catch the spear in mid-air. For the less agile, the spears, though blunted, can spill blood, which the Sumbanese believe will fertilize the land and produce a better harvest. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Hundreds of people flock into Wainyapu to assist the Pasola. Riders are grouped into 2 teams, based on their traditional clans. The aim of the Pasola is to throw blunted wooden spears at the opposition riders while trying to avoid their counter attacks. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). A rider starts a new wave of attacks. A skilled rider can duck an incoming spear and the very best of them can catch the spear in mid-air. For the less agile, the spears, though blunted, can spill blood, which the Sumbanese believe will fertilize the land and produce a better harvest. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). Spectators stare at the local governor of Sumba and his family while he's walking towards the tribune of honor. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). A rider throwns a spear towards an opponent. Riders are grouped into 2 teams, based on their traditional clans. The aim of the Pasola is to throw blunted wooden spears at the opposition riders while trying to avoid their counter attacks. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

March 29, 2016 - Wainyapu (Indonesia). John poses for a photo together with local authorities marking the end of the battle. © Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom