Getting To Know The Pandan War, A Tradition That Remains Lestari In Bali Even Though It Causes Wounds

Tradition of pandan war in Karangasem, Bali (photo: Special)

YOGYAKARTA Getting to know the pandemic war or the Mekare-kare tradition is something that must be done, especially for those of you who are interested in Balinese culture.

The Pandan War is a tradition that is carried out every year in Tenganan Village, Manggis District, Karangasem Regency, Bali.

According to the local community's trust, this tradition was carried out as a tribute to Dewa Indra (the god of war) as well as his ancestors.

This article will discuss the Pandan War Ceremony or the Mekare-kare Tradition. For more details, see the following reviews.

Quoted from the official website of the Karangasem Regency Government, the Pandan War is a ceremony of offering to honor the ancestors and also Dewa Indra.

Please note, religious beliefs in Tenganan are different from other Hindu religions in Bali. This region does not recognize caste and believes that Indra is a god of war and a god of all gods. In honor of Dewa Indra, the Tenganan community held a Pandan War ceremony.

The Mekare-kare tradition is called the Pandan War because it uses pandan barbed weapons as the main property.

Pandan thorny was cut in the same size, then tied up until it looked like a gada, namely a weapon in the war.

Perpetrators of the Pandan War will also carry shields from the rattan to protect themselves. Men who adhere to the Makare-kare tradition will wear sarongs (kamen), scarves (samples), and headbands (medaries) without clothes, shirtless.

The Pandan War procession begins with a ceremony asking for safety and rituals to pour palm wine at each other.

Furthermore, traditional leaders in Tengan Village will give a signal of the start of the Pandan War.

Aba-aba will be given between two people who will attack each other and survive with one referee as a mediator. The two participants will attack each other using a pandan accompanied by a strain of tabulan gamelan.

The Pandan War lasted for approximately one minute until the referee stopped the match. The Pandan War took turns with other participants and was carried out in rotation.

After attacking each other, most participants will suffer injuries all over their bodies due to pandan leaves. Therefore, after the ceremony procession, the participants' bodies will be smeared with traditional ingredients from turmeric and enveloping scarcity with added coconut oil to treat them.

Participants of the Pandan War did not hold grudges or anger after the match. They lived it sincerely as part of a traditional ceremony.

The Pandan War or the Mekare-kare Tradition is regularly held in the third term, namely the fifth month in the calculation of the Tenganan Pegringsingan Village Special Calendar.

When viewed in the AD calendar, the Pandan War Ceremony will be held around June. The Mekare-kare tradition is held for two days, with the location of the first day being held at Petemu Kaja and the second day in front of Bale Agung.

That's information about the Pandan War or the Mekare-kare Tradition. Hopefully this article can make you know the Panda War better. To get other selected news updates, keep reading VOI.ID.