Hindus hold purification ritual ahead of Nyepi

I Wayan Juniartha ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Wed, 03/05/2008 1:31 PM  |  Bali

Thousands of Balinese Hindus flocked to the island's coast Tuesday to conduct the Melasti purification rituals to welcome Nyepi, the Hindu celebration of the Saka New Year, known as the Day of Silence.

On Padanggalak beach, Sanur, some five kilometers east of the island's capital Denpasar, preparation for the Melati rituals started as early as Monday afternoon and continued throughout the night.

"We started constructing the ritual structures, including the elevated stages for offerings and for the high priest yesterday evening and then we completed all the remaining details of the preparation at dawn today," said Subadi.

Subadi is an official from Desa Pekraman (traditional customary village) Tonja on the northern outskirts of Denpasar.

"We had to start earlier, otherwise we wouldn't have any place left to conduct the ritual because a large number of Desa Pekraman will conduct their Melasti in this beach," he said.

Sea erosion and unchecked development have turned Padanggalak beach, which was used to be one of the most spacious beaches in Denpasar, into a narrow strip of sandy coastal area with a massive wave barrier running along its shoreline.

Wave upon wave of Hindu devotees began arriving at the beach early in the morning. In a beautiful procession highlighted with colorful parasols, majestic banners and finely decorated traditional lances and spears, they approached the beach solemnly. The procession was led by a long, single column of female devotees, each of them carrying a pratima (a sacred temple effigy) on her head.

The effigies were mostly made of rare woods, carved into various mythological creatures -- from winged lion to terrifying dragons -- and painted with striking colors layered with pure gold.

The effigies were the vessels of the spiritual powers that protect the village and bestow its residents with abundant harvests and prosperous life.

"Each village has its own respective effigies, which are stored in the village's temples. These are the most important spiritual and religious objects in Bali because they are the actual symbols of the deities," Balinese scholar Ketut Sumarta said.

"Melasti is a very important ritual because it is a rare event during which all the effigies are taken not only out of the temple but also out of the village's boundary. In Melasti, man and gods partake in a joint spiritual journey to purity," he said.

Many Hindu devotees believe that Melasti is aimed at purifying the effigies and other temple sacred objects. Sumarta refuted that belief, stating that the deities needed no purification because they already had the divine quality of the gods.

"On a spiritual level, the Melasti is a reunion between the spirits of the mountain with the spirits of the ocean. Ocean (Segara) and Mountain (Giri) are two important spiritual nexus in Balinese Hinduism philosophy," he said.

"It is man who needs purification. In Melasti, the deities accompany us, the mortals, to touch the ocean, the ultimate cleanser. In this ritual, the deities and the ocean purify man's soul so he can embrace the new year with a pure heart."

After a brief sacrificial ritual, the devotees escorted the effigies approaching the water line. There, they dipped their feet briefly in the water as the restless ocean roared.

Some elderly women used glass containers to scoop up the ocean's salty water and brought it home. They would later sprinkle that water upon the heads of their relatives who couldn't make it to Melasti.

After Melasti, Balinese Hindus will carry out the grand sacrificial ritual Tawur Agung on Feb. 6, the day before Nyepi. The Tawur is an effort to pacify the destructive forces of nature. A day later, Friday, the whole island will enter complete silence, a re-enactment of the state of the universe before the divine creation took place.

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