BALI FESTIVAL: MEKARE KARE, TENGANAN
Bali, the land of Gods and smiles. As we hear the name it evokes loving fantasies under the full Moon and rice field oasis under swarms of stars. A blissful honeymoon island for lovers and recharge paradise for lost backpackers and newbie travelers.
Bali is this and much more. Bali is an island of the Indonesian island nation and the most popular one among tourists and while it boasts a rich scenery of white and black sand beaches, enchanting waterfalls and majestic mountains it is also home to a rich culture Hindu heritage. And the island of Bali holds several very interesting cultural festivals along the year.
The Mekare-Kare festival is an Aga people festival held once per year in the Aga village of Tenganan.
The original inhabitants of Bali, the Bali Aga, are said to have come from Bedulu, a village in the Gianyar region, much before the Hindu immigration from Java island.
The Bali Aga speak their own dialect that is thousands of years old and there are currently only two villages in Bali where Bali Aga people live, Trunyan and Tenganan. Tenganan being much more accessible to tourists due to the location and the friendliness of its people.
I wanted to visit Trunyan with a local friend and he stopped me from going there as he told me people can be a harsh to tourists there. I visited Tenganan a few times on my own during my six months stay in Bali and I can guarantee you it is completely safe and locals are friendly and welcoming, although many of them do not speak more than their language so communication can be challenging.
The Bali Aga are very inclusive and they only marry with people who belong to their own villages. If they fall in love with someone from outside the village they will have to leave the village. They usually work as rice farmers or in handicrafts such as wood carvings of palm leaves painting. They are famous for their unconventional burial rituals in which the deceased are left unburied on the terrain. This cannot be observed any more in Tenganan but only in Trunyan.
How to get to Tenganan
Tenganan is only 3 km from Candidasa, so the best way is riding a motorbike or get a taxi to Candidasa and you will see the signs from there. You will not get lost. There are very clear signs on the road. If you are staying in the Canggu area check out this guide to the best vegan restaurants in Bali.
There is not entrance fee to enter the village but a small donation is requested. You should also dress modestly whether you are visiting the village on a normal day or during the Mekare-Kare festival.
TIP: Drive a motorbike in Bali at your own risk. The traffic can be a bit challenging so take your precautions and always use a helmet.
Tenganan community culture
The Tenganan community main concern is to live in balance with nature and for that purpose they follow their ancestors laws with mandate the preservation of 7 different types of trees, including the candlenuts and noni trees.
The process of Gringing, a type of cotton woven cloth, aims to represent local values that humans must preserve. The value of friendship, mutual respect, interdependence among men, between man and God and man and nature.
Bali festivals: Mekare-Kare: Tenganan
This is the most important festival held in the village of Tenganan and it happens once a year and it consists of a battle among the men in the village.
This Bali festival is celebrated in the name of Lord Indra, the God of war. The weapons used for the fight are pandanus leaves.As it is a ritual, the participants cannot be drawn to hatred or aggressiveness and they are not allowed to hit below the belly or above the neck.
The festival attracts many domestic and foreign and amateur photographers every year. It is one of the the most authentic Bali festivals.
The ritual takes places on the fifth month of the Balinese calendar and it commemorates the fight between Lord Indra and Maya Denawa.
Maya Denawa was a king that become so arrogant that proclaimed himself greater than any God and forbid rituals. He angered the Gods and Indra fought him and defeated him.
The days before the fights are also very interesting to attend as there are several preparations and ceremonies in the villages.
In fact the pictures in this blog post correspond to exactly the day before the official start of the rituals.
The festivals lasts for a couple of days but the preparations go on for an entire week and I highly recommend to go and have a look.
TIP: Bring plenty of batteries for your camera as you will not want to stop taking pictures.
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