When a pule tree produces a knot, it is considered “pregnant,” and this knot may be removed with prayers and offerings, to carve a sacred mask. Only a few carvers on the island are considered capable of this task, and must be considered spiritually pure.Ī committee of villagers, including a priest visit the carvers home and engage him to create the mask, also inquiring where to find the suitable wood. Offerings will be heaped in front of the masks, as they are acknowledged to contain a spirit.Ī sacred mask begins its creation when someone in the village goes into trance, and channels the directive by a spirit as to which mask they must have, and in some cases who the carver must be. Once they reach the beach where the people from their village regularly perform this ritual, they are transferred to a temporary bamboo alter, facing the celebrants, who will be praying toward the sacred volcano, Gunung Agung. This will occur on March 14, and if you are lucky, you will be able to witness one or more of these stunning processions.īecause they are sacred, the masks may only be handled by a priest or priestess, and are carried in procession on the head. One of these occasions is prior to the celebration of the Balinese New Year, when all Bali-Hindu communities march in procession to the sea for purification. At certain times the masks are asked to make themselves known, and are ceremonially purified at rivers or the sea.
Sacred masks are created by order of the deities, and serve as symbols of protective spirits for the communities that possess them. The night before Nyepi young adults in the communities, parade giant, demonic images they have created, along with torches and cacophonous percussive Gamelan through the villages in order to chase out malevolent spirits, cleansing the island for the New Years day (Nyepi). Offerings are also made in order to maintain balance and harmony.
The Balinese believe in both high and low spirits, and both are given offerings to acknowledge their existence. In 2018 this major ritual will take place over four days, March 14-17. The dates when it happens one year will be different the next. The Bali-Hindu calendar is on a 210 day cycle, which, for the purpose of efficiency, is over-laid on the Gregorian calendar.
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