A ritual is defined as a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community.
Rituals are a feature of all known human societies. They include not only the worship rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults, but also rites of passage, atonement and purification rites, oaths of allegiance, dedication ceremonies, coronations and presidential inaugurations, marriages, funerals and more. Even everyday actions like hand-shaking and saying “hello” could be termed as rituals.
A ceremony is defined as a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion.
To be powerful and effective ceremonies have to have impact. This occurs when the ceremony is framed by the visual and performing arts. Great care is taken in creating and choosing the poetry, prose, stories, personal journeys, myths, silences, dance, music and song, shared meditations, choreography and symbolism which comprise a ceremony. To reinforce the psychological and cultural power of ceremony it should be enacted, as far as possible, in a beautiful interior or exterior place. Beauty is the essential core of ceremony, having always been part of “raising the spirit” and embedding the good in the memory.
Ceremonies are, historically, the bridge between the visual and performing arts and the people.
Theatre emerged from ritual, and ceremony. Early societies perceived connections between certain actions performed by the group or leaders in the group and the desired results of the whole society. These actions moved from habit, to tradition, and then on to ceremony and ritual. The formulation of these actions, and the consequent repetition and rehearsal, broke the ground for theatre.
In his seminal work, “The Hero With A Thousand Faces”, Joseph Campbell says of rituals and ceremonies – “The tribal ceremonies of birth, initiation, marriage, burial, installation and so forth, serve to translate the individual’s life-crises and life-deeds into classic, impersonal forms. They disclose him to himself, not as this personality or that, but as the warrior, the bride, the widow, the priest, the chieftain; at the same time rehearsing for the rest of the community the old lesson of the archetypal stages”.
In the equally ground-breaking work, “The Power of Myth”, Campbell’s thesis is that, as the world becomes more globalised and people travel and work in countries other than their own, we are in need of new myths, ceremonies and rituals to fill the ever developing void left when people move on from their local mythology and rituals. It is these myths and rituals that give our societies some meaning and contribute to stability. Indeed, one could say that stability requires its very own myths and rituals. They provide us with a cultural framework by which we can define ourselves - to know who we are.
A society that has held onto its rituals and ceremonies in unique fashion, despite an onslaught of cultural influences from outside, is the famed resort island of Bali on the Indonesian archipelago.
Traditional ceremonies in Bali are related to Hindu religious activities, the religion embraced by the majority of Balinese. These rituals and ceremonies are a part of the daily life of the people on the island. Without detracting from the impact or significance of the ceremony, all people – including tourists – can join in by wearing traditional Balinese clothing, making the proper offerings and such.
Traditional ceremonies in Bali are closely related to the religious life of the local community, which is closely related to religious ceremonial activities or offerings to Ida Sang Hyang Widi (God), especially on days that are considered sacred by Hindus.
Although there are many different rituals and ceremonies that happen in various villages and districts across the island, there are a number of traditional ceremonies related to offerings to the Pitara (ancestors or people who have died), ceremonies to Humans, Bhuta Kala (evil spirits) and nature that are widely practiced throughout Bali. We thought we’d give a quick look at a few of these here today.
Ngaben Ceremony:
The Ngaben ceremony is a cremation ritual to carry the corpse back to the creator. In general, after death the person's body will be burned and then the ashes are washed away into the sea.
Melasti Ceremony:
This is a purification ceremony for both self and sacred objects belonging to the temple. In Hindu religious belief, water sources such as lakes, seas and springs are the source of life or “tirta amerta”. In this ritual, people flock to the sea or water sources wearing white clothes and carrying prayer equipment along with sacred objects or statues to be cleaned.
The purpose of this ceremony is to increase devotion to the Gods and manifestations of God and increase the awareness of Hindus to restore environmental sustainability.
Saraswati Day:
This is a holiday to celebrate science. On this day, Balinese Hindus perform a special ceremony to worship or glorify Dewi Saraswati who is believed to bring knowledge on earth to make everyone in the world smart and educated. Everything related to science is prayed for in the Saraswati ceremony which includes dance performances and story readings that last all night.
Galungan Day:
Galungan comes from the Old Javanese language and means “Win”. This is a traditional ceremony that aims to celebrate the victory of Dharma (goodness) against Adharma (evil) and is celebrated every 6 months or, in the Balinese calendar, every 210 days.
Mepandes:
Also known as the “tooth cutting ceremony” is performed when a child enters adolescence. In this ceremony, six upper canine teeth of the child will be scraped off. The purpose of this ritual is to eliminate 6 enemies (sad ripu) in humans. The six enemies are lust, greed, anger, drunkenness, confusion and envy.
Tumpek Landep:
A ceremony, carried out every 210 days, where Balinese purify their weapons and equipment with offerings and prayers. Led by a traditional leader, it is carried out in a temple that is considered sacred for the occasion and has the right location. As symbols of intelligence and helping human life, these objects are worshiped on this day as a form of gratitude to God in his manifestation as Sang Hyang Pasupati.
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