Bungee jumping is a new sport, and it is not difficult to learn. First, you must go somewhere very high, like a bridge. Then, someone ties a strong, rubber rope around your ankles. Next, if you are brave enough, you jump off the bridge. Just before you hit the ground, the rope pulls you back upwards. You bounce around for a few minutes, and then someone helps to get you down. People who have done this say that it is very exciting indeed.
How did this strange sport begin? Well, it started in the islands of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. On one of these islands, the people tell this legend. Once, there was a man who treated his wife so badly that she ran away. He followed her, but she climbed up a tall banyan tree. The husband climbed after her, and reached out to catch her. Suddenly, the woman jumped into the air, and the husband fell too. The man was killed, but the woman has tied vines to her ankles, and they saved her life.
After that (according to the legend) the other men wanted to show that they were as brave as that woman. They practiced jumping from trees with long vines or ropes attached to their ankles. This happened many years ago. These days, they still practice this dangerous lang-diving activity every year. Now it is part of their culture. The people believe that they must do it so that their crops will grow well. It is also a test of bravery for the men. No women are allowed to take part.
First, the men build a tall tower from bamboo. This takes about a week. They dig the ground on one side of the tower, so that it is soft. Then the ceremony begins. First, young boys jump from just a few metres. Then, one by one, the other men jump from higher parts of the tower. The last man, the champion diver, jumps from a height of about 25 metres. All of the divers have vines tied around their ankles. Just before they hit the ground, the vines pull them up. Sometimes their heads or arms touch the soft earth, but usually no one is hurt.
People in other countries learnt about the land-divers of Vanuatu in the 1950s and 60s. There were articles and photographs about them in magazines. In the 1980s a man called A.J. Hackett started a bungee jumping business in New Zealand. It was very popular. Now there are hundreds of places around the world where you can go if you want to do a bungee jump. They use safe, modern equipment. And everyone is welcome-including women!
Bungee jumping is a new sport, and it is not difficult to learn. First, you must go somewhere very high, like a bridge. Then, someone ties a strong, rubber rope around your ankles. Next, if you are brave enough, you jump off the bridge. Just before you hit the ground, the rope pulls you back upwards. You bounce around for a few minutes, and then someone helps to get you down. People who have done this say that it is very exciting indeed. How did this strange sport begin? Well, it started in the islands of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. On one of these islands, the people tell this legend. Once, there was a man who treated his wife so badly that she ran away. He followed her, but she climbed up a tall banyan tree. The husband climbed after her, and reached out to catch her. Suddenly, the woman jumped into the air, and the husband fell too. The man was killed, but the woman has tied vines to her ankles, and they saved her life. After that (according to the legend) the other men wanted to show that they were as brave as that woman. They practiced jumping from trees with long vines or ropes attached to their ankles. This happened many years ago. These days, they still practice this dangerous lang-diving activity every year. Now it is part of their culture. The people believe that they must do it so that their crops will grow well. It is also a test of bravery for the men. No women are allowed to take part. First, the men build a tall tower from bamboo. This takes about a week. They dig the ground on one side of the tower, so that it is soft. Then the ceremony begins. First, young boys jump from just a few metres. Then, one by one, the other men jump from higher parts of the tower. The last man, the champion diver, jumps from a height of about 25 metres. All of the divers have vines tied around their ankles. Just before they hit the ground, the vines pull them up. Sometimes their heads or arms touch the soft earth, but usually no one is hurt. People in other countries learnt about the land-divers of Vanuatu in the 1950s and 60s. There were articles and photographs about them in magazines. In the 1980s a man called A.J. Hackett started a bungee jumping business in New Zealand. It was very popular. Now there are hundreds of places around the world where you can go if you want to do a bungee jump. They use safe, modern equipment. And everyone is welcome-including women!
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