Words and photos Agung Parameswara

It was a hot Thursday afternoon on Jan. 14 at Banjar Asak Kanging customary village in Karangasem, east Bali.

Dozens of muscled, bare-chested young men gathered in Patokan temple, each carrying a 45-centimeter-long carved knife called a tiuk penyepegan sampi.

Clad in long black pieces of cloth teamed with white saput (waist cloth) and red udeng (headgear), the men walked from the temple to stand along a 20-meter pathway decorated on both sides with long yellow and white cloth.

This unique ritual, called Ngusaba Kaulu, or Aci Teruna, is held once a year in this Bali Aga village, Desa Asak, located just 10 kilometers from Tenganan village in Karangasem and 63 kilometers from Denpasar.

The village'€™s daha (male youth group) had been preparing for this grand purification ritual for three weeks and had bought a strong, healthy, bull and selected four young men as grooms.

Prior to the ritual, the grooms had to feed the bull with nutritious food and bathe it at a special spring near the water temple Pura Beji, where there is a large pond with seven water spouts.

On the ritual day, the young men decorated the bull lavishly, including with a necklace and yellow, black and white cloth over its body. A swastika sign was painted on the bull'€™s forehead.

The four grooms paraded the bull through the village accompanied by a bleganjur musical ensemble before arriving at the village community hall. The parade also involved Balinese pemangku, as well as the village youth and other members of the village.

After arriving at the community hall, the bull was released to run down the pathway to the temple, while the men lining the path stabbed at the animal. The bleeding bull kept running toward the temple courtyard while spilling blood all over the soil and the yellow cloth.

Upon reaching the courtyard, a number of pemangku were ready to perform a special prayer and to present various offerings in front of the wounded bull. The priests later sprinkled holy water all over the bull.

Only the four grooms and the priests witnessed the ritual, while the other members of the village had to wait outside the temple courtyard.

After the ritual, the grooms walked the bull around the temple yard three times.

The blood spilled from the bull is believed to have the spiritual power to ward off evil influences that could attack the village and its people. After the ceremony, the villagers have high expectations for a bountiful harvest in the months to come.

During the ritual, the local villagers were required to place an upside down banyan tree trunk filled with a large variety of offerings in front of their houses.

This unique ritual is only found in Desa Asak and is part of the island'€™s vibrant cultural and religious life.

Popular

Indonesian Muslim groups rally behind Iran amid escalating war

Details on gasoline, diesel rationing remain elusive

Witnesses, activists in Andrie case subject to threats