Spiritual Rituals Around the Continent
{ BARONG – BALI, INDONESIA}
This mass trance ritual is held exactly eight days after the Kuningan religious holiday, where it is believed to be the day of ascension back to heaven for ancestral holy spirits and deities. The ceremony takes place in the Petilan Temple in East Denpasar, which houses old heirlooms and sacred artifacts such as the
barong (goodness) and rangda (evil) masks, which represent mythical creatures of black and white magic. The ritual commences when followers of the Hindu faith pray together. With a background of gamelan (Indonesian musical instruments) music, two possessed mediums or barongs – with the masks on – start to leap and bound. The crowd will then go into a half- conscious state attempting to stab their chests with traditional daggers known as keris. For the Balinese, this possession conveys a spiritual message of evil being overtaken by the elements of goodness.
With a background of gamelan music, two possessed mediums, or barongs – with the masks on – start to leap and bound