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Jakarta Post

Keeping up with traditions

Let’s get the party started: A community moves into the new year with its traditions intact

Trisha Sertori (The Jakarta Post)
Sumampan
Thu, January 2, 2014

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Keeping up with traditions

Let'€™s get the party started: A community moves into the new year with its traditions intact.

Three months in the planning '€” and almost a half century of waiting '€” the residents of Sumampan
village in Gianyar culminated this week with a Karya Memungkah Mupuk ceremony.

Last held 45 years ago, again on a Wednesday at the start of a new year, the festival is a time to remember the Balinese philosophy of tri hita karna, or the balance between man, nature and the Gods.

Community elder Ida Bagus Marka remembers that last Mupuk ceremony and is delighted to join his friends and neigbors in the celebrations, which just happened to fall on the days leading up to and including New Year'€™s Day under the solar, but not the Balinese, calendar.

'€œIn those days the ceremony was held every ten years, but economic factors have meant we have had to hold off until now '€” for 45 years,'€ says the spry 78 year old. '€œI hope we can hold the Mupuk ceremony every decade again, given the improved economy, and more importantly I hope we can receive the blessings from God. This ceremony is to balance the relationship between man and nature and it is our duty to guard that balance into the future.'€

Harmonizing the earthly sphere is now more vital than ever as, according to Balinese Hindu beliefs, mankind is in a negative epoch, where evil has the upper hand.

Sneak peak: Reflections on the past and future caught in a mirror on offerings.
Sneak peak: Reflections on the past and future caught in a mirror on offerings.
'€œWe are in the time of Kali Yuga when the negative aspects of humans are greater than the positive, so this ceremony will hopefully work toward rebalancing the positive and the negative,'€ says Marka.

Positive elements have been in high gear for this community since October, with all 485 families from the charming Brahmin Sumampan village working together, building and decorating the stage and offerings pavilions over the main road of the town.

As one former district head explained each family donated around Rp. 200,000 (US$16.43) and gave their time to ensure the success of the rare event. '€œEveryone gave what they could, and that depends on what they can afford. The rich gave what they could and so did the less well off, so that all members of the community have a sense of ownership over the ceremony, a sense of belonging to this community.'€

This cooperation '€” gotong royong, as it is known throughout Indonesia '€” was essential, as cremations were also held during the ceremony'€™s preparations.

'€œWe had to put on hold the preparations as we had cremations to attend to and we could not work on the positive, the ceremony, while working on the negative, that is the cremations, so from November every child, every youth, every older person from our community all came together to make this a
success,'€ he added.

Dressed to impress: Bali'€™s rich traditions kept alive in Sumampan village as these girls prepare for the sacred Rejang dance.
Dressed to impress: Bali'€™s rich traditions kept alive in Sumampan village as these girls prepare for the sacred Rejang dance.
And this coming together to share old traditions is another valuable element of the Mupuk ceremony.

'€œClearly here in Bali we face issues, if we don'€™t care for the environment and care for our culture, especially for our new generation, then these can be lost forever,'€ says Marka.

He continues: '€œIf we lose our culture, our environment, Bali is lost. I feel this is most important, we need to be active in its protection and I hope the government has laws to maintain and guard our traditions all across Bali. This ceremony is to teach and remind our young generation of our culture. We have to have ceremonies like this to remember our traditions.'€

Marka'€™s village is just a few kilometers from the tourist town of Ubud, where he sees daily the rapid changes taking place, such as villas going up on farmland and the great shift from an agrarian to a service economy.

'€œThis ceremony is an opportunity for our young to see our communal ways, it is a symbol of our unity. We are all together and together we need to guard this unity and culture always. Our young may be working in other areas, far from home, so we need to hold on to our culture and pass the knowledge on. And newcomers to our area should follow the lead of our community, adjust their behavior to mesh with local ways and our concepts, so they don'€™t destroy what they came here for. Tri hita karna is already complete, that is the balance we must maintain,'€ says Marka trusting his community can guard into the new year, its traditions and beliefs as it has done for centuries past.

Mighty men: These young boys prepare to perform the Baris Dewa dance, which forms part of their Balinese legacy.
Mighty men: These young boys prepare to perform the Baris Dewa dance, which forms part of their Balinese legacy.

Jam session: Keeping culture alive, these young boys get in touch with gamelan.
Jam session: Keeping culture alive, these young boys get in touch with gamelan.

Proud: These men perform the Baris or warrior dance, guarding their ancient traditions.
Proud: These men perform the Baris or warrior dance, guarding their ancient traditions.

Assembled: Children of Sumampan village learn their ancient traditions.
Assembled: Children of Sumampan village learn their ancient traditions.
'€” Photos by J.B.Djwan

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