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BALI CULTURE AND LEGEND
» The secret sound of óm
swastyastu
» The supreme god (ida sang hyang
widhi wasa)
» The gods and his functions
» Event and special ceremony
STORY
Bulan kuning, rama
dewa awatara, sang karna, boma,
barong, budha awatara,
Tirta sanjiwani, sangkala,
rajapala, i lacur, jaya prana, sri
tanjung
Event and Special Ceremony
Nyepi (the silent day)
Every year on the day after the ninth new moon ( around march
), is the balinese isaka warsa ( new year ) first day of the
saka year. bhuta yadnya upacara is done to get rid of evil elements
that hinder mankind's well being and happiness.on this day of
stillness, everyone abstain from lighting fires or lamps, the
purpose is to cleanse the soul from all sin and being bestow
with power and pure light to strengthen character and help cope
with the struggles of the coming year. this quite time is meant
for self-criticism, focus of thoughts and gathering of spiritual
power founded on sacredness.the next day, ngembak geni ( rekindling
of the fire ), we start life a new, free from sin, forgive each
other and abstain from lower desires like gambling and feasting.
Siwa ratri
siwa ratri means night of holy meditation and this is how it
started : lubdaka, a hunter, who lived in the mountains with
his family, left one misty day to go hunting, all set for a
good catch. he had gone quite far into the forest, and yet did
not encounter a single pray. as he approach a clear water lake
he realized the sun was setting, he would have to spend the
night, so he climbed-up a nearby tree on the shore of the lake
to safety. afraid to fall in his sleep, he started picking the
leaves of the tree, dropping them one at a time to keep him
self awake, unaware that the leaves were falling on the sitting
place of dewa siwa. at dawn, with birds singing and flowers
blooming he felt refreshed and hurried home.some years went
by before he fell sick and passed away. his soul was miserable,
tortured by bhatara yamadipati because he liked to kill animals
while alive. bhatara guru sent dewaambara and his proxy to fetch
the poor soul because he had done a night of vigilance with
him, which no else had ever done before. bhatara tamadipati
would not give in without struggle, and so dewa siwa himself
had to intervene and give the order to release lubdaka's soul
from turmoil.this is why whoever observes siwa ratri on the
night before the 7th new moon, by first cleansing oneself, praying
to sang hyang surya raditya and then staying up all night fasting
and praying, will surely be remembered by dewa siwa and be assisted
on their way to heaven.
Galungan
Balinese ceremony for the world and all creations by sang hyang
widhi, observed every 6 months on budha kliwon galungan ( see
bali traditional horoscope ) people pray in earnest to sang
hyang widhi for happiness and to avoid awidya ( darkness ).
galungan represents the victory in the crusade between dharma
and adharma ( immorality ) and is an expression of gratitude
for the bounty of nature and the generosity of sang hyang widhi,
passed down to earth trhough the dewa-dewi and pitara. the day
before galungan, we purity the soul from sang kala tiga ( lower
emotions, like greed, envy and anger ) with upacara abhyakala,
which is also to awaken the soul's consciousness. on the eve
of galungan day, the pious meditate to receive the favors of
ida sang hyang widhi wasa. the day after, wraspati umanis galungan
( see bali traditional horoscope ), at dawn, every one pray
and purity with tirta and air wangi ( scented water ), eat the
remainder of yesterday's banten and melali with friendliness
and wishes of well being. special at galungan is the posting
of penjor in front of the house as a sign of gratitude to the
easy flowing generosity of sang hyang widhi. the tall curved
bamboo is the image of a tall mountain as a sacred place, adornments
of coconut leaves, bananas, sugarcane, rice, sweets and cloth
are representative of all growth and basic necessities granted
to mankind by sang hyang widhi, the all giving and loving god.
Kuningan
Comes 10 days after galungan on saniscara kliwon kuningan (
see bali traditional horoscope ). it is the day of the return
of sang pitara and gods to the sanggah where people offer their
devotions and prayers to achieve peace and long lifw along with
prayers for the omnipresent protection and guidance of sang
hyang widhi. the ceremonies are concluded by noon, before the
invisible guests return to swah loka.
Upacara perkawinan
ceremony for the union of a couple completed in two major parts
: first : upacara madengen-dengan ( with/together) : ceremony
performed to cleanse the couple's seed from bad influences and
to ensure that the soul to be born will be radiant and of good
nature. it also to testify the sacredness of couple's union
in front of ida sang hyang widhi wasa as spiritual witness and
in the presence of the family and banjar ( community ), acting
as substantial witnesses. second : upacara natab and majapati
: ceremony performed to purify the birth (past actions ) and
soul of the couple from undesired circumstances and influences
to ensure of a long lasting and honorable union.
the ceremony completed, the couple may go live in peace, harmony
and are now free to procreate, because balinese people believe
that if a child is born before the wedding, this child will
be stubborn and rebellious.
Upacara potong gigi
the tooth filing ceremony is usually performed together with
upacara meningkat dewasa ( adulthood ceremony ) but sometimes,
for lack of funds, is only done later in life. in this ceremony
six teeth are filed, four upper and two canines. in spiritual
sense, the filing of tooth symbolizes the reduction or neutralizing
of sad ripu ( 6 vices desire, anger, greed, pride, arrogance
and envy ) that cause down fall into misery in this world and
the hereafter. prayers are uttered to sang hyang semara ratih
( aka dewa kama, love god ) and his sakti dewi ratih ( love
goddess ) to obtain success in all enterprises, to burn away
sickness and to chase away evil. the ceremony is done in a pavilion
called bale gading, the floor is covered with yellow flowers,
and there is a special altar for the placing of banten.
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