Mystical rituals in Bali - what amazes tourists

Traditions of the Island of the Gods that you will not find anywhere else in the world!

Bali is a very religious and spiritual place. In this Indonesian province alone, there are more than 20 thousand Hindu temples, each serving its own purpose. The beliefs of the people of Bali and their traditions may simply not fit into the minds of tourists who arrive from different parts of the world.

Some traditions here are very colorful and beautiful. For example, when girls carry sweets and flowers on their heads, and residents place baskets woven from flowers and leaves near their homes. Other rituals are simply shocking and even frightening: joy and fun at funerals, sacrifices to spirits of dogs of a certain color, piercing with daggers... And because of not knowing some customs, you can even accidentally offend local people. What is interesting to know about Balinese rituals?

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Funeral? No, it looks like some kind of celebration

Most people in Bali are Hindus. They believe that before sending the deceased to the other world, the person should be purified by fire. That is why the dead are cremated during a special ritual on certain dates chosen by the elders. What shocks tourists is the fact that such a ceremony is considered a joyful event, because families let their loved ones go into nirvana. Hindus believe in reincarnation. Relatives are advised not to cry, so as not to hinder the deceased on the way to the next life. By the way, tourists are welcome at funerals - strangers are believed to bring good luck.

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Offerings made of cigarettes and chewing gum

Balinese believe that we are surrounded by good and evil spirits, and both should be treated with equal attention and respect. They believe that people must live in peace and spend several hours every day making handmade offerings not only to the gods, but also to evil spirits.

Offerings consist of very different things: cigarettes, candies or chewing gum... You will see them at the entrance of every house, restaurant, and pub. Every morning at dawn, women light incense sticks and place an offering in the temple or in front of the house.

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Tooth filing

This ceremony is performed when a person reaches sexual maturity. The tooth-cutting ceremony, or Mepandes, is carried out to remove flaws: greed, lust, anger, and jealousy. It sounds terrible, but in fact the teeth are filed only symbolically, without destroying them. Boys and girls go through a religious rite before the elders scrape their front teeth as a sign of release from the dark side of personality.

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Piercing the body with daggers

Ngurek is a ritual dance performed by a group of people who are believed to be possessed by spirits. During the ceremony, participants fall into a trance-like state and show extraordinary physical abilities. During the frightening ritual, they try to pierce the chest, shoulders, neck, forehead, eyelid, and eyebrows with a sharp dagger or spear... The point is pressed in with drilling movements without injuring the body. Balinese are sure that the body will not be harmed because the person is in a trance.

The ritual ends when a priest comes to the performer, takes away the dagger, and sprinkles the person with holy water. It is believed that in this way a person purifies himself, brings blessings to society, and serves as a bridge between the earthly and spiritual worlds. The most vivid ceremony of this kind is held in Denpasar at Petilan Temple every 210 days, and it is called Pengerebongan.

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The Trunyan funeral ritual

This eerie ritual can be seen only in the village of Trunyan in Bangli Regency. Instead of burying the dead or cremating them, the bodies are left on the ground around a large tree, followed by prayers and ceremonies. Strangely enough, there is no smell of decay in this place. This unique phenomenon is connected with the banyan tree, whose roots contain a chemical substance that prevents the process of rotting.

After being purified by rainwater, the body of the deceased is placed in a bamboo cage under the Taru Menyan tree until the forces of nature dissolve the tissues. Then the skull is placed on a stone altar in the form of stairs, located about 500 meters north of Banjar Kuban, a special place that can be reached only by boat. The sight is frightening - piles of skulls and bones surrounding the tree. Brave visitors can get to this eerie village by boat to discover the unusual, almost ghostly way of life of the Bali Aga people.

The ritual has become part of the village’s identity and a way to earn money. Locals offer their own boats for tourists going to the "burial" place.

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Rain of money

Kuningan, or the Balinese New Year, is one of the brightest holidays on the island. In different areas it is celebrated in different ways. Residents of Bongan village in Tabanan celebrate this event by arranging a rain of money. Balinese believe that ten days before the new year their dead ancestors visit the earth and return on New Year’s Day. When the ancestors leave, the residents of Bongan thoughtfully throw their money into the air to provide for their family and express gratitude.

Melasti ceremony: offering gifts on a boat

Melasti is held on the eve of the Balinese Day of Silence, Nyepi, when local residents refrain from any non-prayer activity, including work and cooking. The Melasti ceremony is a chance to cleanse the soul with water, which is why it is held on beaches and lakes.

Balinese collect water from the sea and sacred springs, believing that it contains the essence of eternal life. On the ocean shore, at sacred springs, rivers, and lakes, people dressed in white arrange majestic processions. They make an offering to God, which sails away on a boat across the ocean. At this time, the Balinese, facing the waves, pray on the shore.

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Pandan war

Every June in Tenganan village, a special tradition known as Perang Pandan, or Pandan War, comes to life. Young men and boys enter battle using bundles of pandanus leaves with sharp edges as weapons. Participants fight fiercely bare-chested and with shields made of woven bamboo or rattan. The ceremony is preceded by prayers so that the ritual will be spiritually meaningful and safe for the participants.

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Trees are homes for demons

Balinese believe that spirits and demons live in old and large trees. That is why the bases of large trees are often wrapped in black-and-white sacred cloth. It is believed that the kapok tree contains the spirit of Durga, the goddess of death. There is even one interesting belief among Balinese - honk twice when driving past such trees as a sign of respect. Some tourists have started copying this habit to drive away evil spirits.

Terrifying Barong masks

During the Galungan festivals, almost everywhere you will see a face that resembles a lion. Barong is a mythological character, the king of spirits and the leader of the forces of good. Banaspati Raja is the spirit that brings Barong to life, representing the spiritual child who accompanies a young man throughout his life. During the Galungan and Kuningan festivals, children wearing Barong masks go from door to door, cleansing the area of evil influences. Many stalls sell T-shirts and other goods with this iconic image.

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Rice grains between the eyebrows

Rice grains are placed between the eyebrows, a special place where the energy that makes up one of the chakras of the human body is concentrated. It is believed that rice on the forehead brings luck and prosperity. So do not be surprised if you see this sign on Balinese people. Women also wear frangipani flowers in their hair during or after prayer: this is a symbol of God Shiva, which has special meaning.

Flowers that must not be touched

Walking along the streets of Bali, notice the small trays made of palm leaves filled with flowers. These colorful offerings are called sesajen, or canang sari. They are not just decorations, but a form of offering to the Hindu gods. The bright flowers represent different gods, for whom these offerings are prepared. Local residents make the trays and place them in front of doors, in restaurants, and in hotel lobbies, believing that this will bring prosperity to their business. These colorful trays always stand along the streets of Bali. It is important not to touch them and not to step on them, because by doing so you will offend local people.

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Sweets and fruit on the head

This tradition is followed mainly by women. Participants carry tall arrangements of fruit, flowers, and traditional cakes known as Gebogan on their heads. Mepid is carried out as a sign of gratitude to Almighty God and is usually performed during temple anniversaries. Although Mepid is widely practiced in Bali, in Sukawati both men and women of all ages take part in the procession.

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Mesbes Bangke: tearing a corpse by hand

Another Balinese tradition that makes people from other parts of the world uneasy. Mesbes Bangke was practiced a couple of centuries ago in Banjar Buruan, Tampaksiring, Gianyar Regency. Instead of cremation, local residents tore corpses apart with their hands. The tradition appeared because of the desire to remove the unpleasant smell of decomposing bodies. Today the practice has changed: the body is tightly wrapped in mats, bamboo, and cloth to avoid direct contact, and while preserving the symbolic meaning of the tradition, only the cloth is torn.

Ter-Teran: battle with torches

In Jasri village, Karangasem, once every two years on the eve of Nyepi, the unique Ter-Teran tradition is held. To drive away evil spirits, people throw burning torches made of dried coconut leaves. After sunset the village sinks into darkness, and the residents return from the ceremony by the sea. It is believed that Bhuta Kala, a demonic character, follows them, and the villagers prepare to protect themselves from him by taking part in a battle using torches. The ritual ends with the participants being sprinkled with holy water.

Mebug-buugan: mud battle

Hundreds of young men and women dressed in sarongs pass through the mangrove forests of the village and cover each other with mud before going to the coast to wash it off. This ancient Balinese ritual is held in Kedonganan village in South Kuta. It had been forgotten for almost 60 years and was revived only three years ago.

It is said that before modern standards of modesty were introduced, participants went through the ritual naked, which is exactly why the ritual stopped being observed.

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Bloody traditions of Bali

Not all Balinese offerings look elegant and refined like woven coconut leaves and handfuls of rice. Balinese try to calm demons with bodily offerings. In the Balinese understanding, evil spirits are not destroyed or exterminated. They are soothed and appeased. And since the demons bhuta and kala are known not only for their ferocity but also for their appetite, the offerings to them require sacrifice. It may be a chicken or larger animals, for example a buffalo, goat, cow, black pig, or a black-and-white goose.

Bhuta and kala are the dark, animal side of a person. They symbolize everything physical, ugly, and temporary. For the Balinese, bhuta and kala are very real monsters that are found at road crossings. This is exactly where offering ceremonies are held. When an animal is killed for sacrifice, Balinese believe that its karma improves and that in a future rebirth it may become a being of a higher order.

Balinese have many rules that are difficult to understand. For example, one ceremony requires 5 chickens of different colors, representing different sides of the world. Another requires a dog of a special color, which in Bali is called bangbungkem.

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Cockfighting

It is completely legal to hold cockfights in Bali. During such a ceremony, a kind of offering of shed blood takes place. The person conducting the ritual holds in the left hand a container with freshly spilled blood intended for the gods. With the right hand, he spreads its smell so that it reaches the proper direction. After that, the contents are poured onto the ground.

This is only a small part of the strange and amazing discoveries that a tourist can make in Bali.

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