tandjung sari
Kuningan & Mekotek
Kuningan is a Balinese holy day celebrated ten days after Galungan.
On Kuningan day, we can witness an unusual rite called mekotekan in the village of Munggu, once the seat of the powerful kingdom of Mengwi. In this purification ritual, the young men of the village each carry a pole, from two to 3.5 meters long, made of pulet wood. They process around the village to the temple Pura Luhur Beten Bingin, where they pile the poles together to create a pyramid-like construction, in which teams compete to climb.
In this purification ritual, the young men of the village each carry a pole, from two to 3.5 meters long, made of pulet wood. They process around the village to the temple Pura Luhur Beten Bingin, where they pile the poles together to create a pyramid-like construction, in which teams compete to climb.
As the sticks crash together, they make a sound like tek tek tek, thus the term mekotekan.
The rite is said to have roots in the victory of Mengwi over Blambangan in East Java in the 17th century. It is held to honor ancestral heroes, and with the hope of protection from unexpected misfortune.
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