We are back again with the next chapter of our Vanuatu island & cultural experience. This time we journeyed to Pentecost, another of Vanuatu’s beautiful islands with loads of tradition.

The island is the ritual birthplace of today’s extreme sport, “bungee jumping”. The tribes build a narrow but tall tower of freshly felled tree trunks. From various levels of this construction, depending on their seniority, men would jump with only vines attached to their feet, down onto a bed of soft soil.

Naghol is a ceremony dedicated to their gods, asking for a good harvest and fertility and showing their teenage boys’ manhood.

The ritual takes place from April to June and only on Saturdays. Visitors are welcome. It is awe-inspiring to be close to this high but precarious tower and see the trepidation, passion, and relief when successfully landed. The entire tribe has fun while dancing and singing in front of the building, motivating the jumpers. It’s both exciting and a relief to see these brave men land their dives.

Not everyone does jump. A young little boy prepared himself carefully for the leap from one of the lower platforms. Standing at the platform’s edge, he analyzed the situation and decided it was too damn high. Not yet ready, he pulled out to give it another go next year.