Holiday Ayo - North Sumatra is one of the provinces in Indonesia that is located at the north of Sumatra Island. The majority of the people who live there are the descendants of Batak people. One of the most popular regions in this region is Nias Island, which is located at the west side of Sumatra Island.

Nias Regency is a popular tourist and arts destination in North Sumatra. One of the tourist attractions in this area is Fahombo, which is the stone jumping tradition.

source: merdeka.com

Many Indonesian people are familiar with Fahombo or the rock jumping tradition of Nias Tribe. This tradition can be found in Bawomataluo Village, South Nias Regency. Fahombo is usually done by the young men in the village. The rock that is used is two meters tall and 40 cm thick. This activity is done to show to other people that these young men have grown up physically.

As cited from Bobo.grid.id, Fahombo first appeared because of the many wars and conflicts among the tribes in Nias. Back then, each village had its own fortresses. In order to win the war against their opponents, every soldier had to be able to jump over those fortresses. Because of that, they began to build piles of rocks to train themselves in jumping as high as they could.

In the modern days, there is no longer any war or conflict, but Fahombo or rock jumping has become a tradition. This tradition has developed into a ritual for the young men to prove to others that they have grown up to become adults.

source: merdeka.com

Fahombo is not done by every citizen of Nias Island. Only several villages practice this tradition. Every one of them has a special place to do it, which has been preserved and used for generations. This tradition is usually done in scheduled places and times so that multiple young men can participate.

The participants will wear the traditional warrior clothes of Nias. They will run at high speed before jumping over the rock. Before participating in this tradition, the young men have to undergo special training first so that they will not be injured during the ritual.