BALINESE WEDDING CEREMONY
A Balinese Wedding Ceremony is a marriage ceremony performed using traditional Balinese culture customs, such as a wedding offering ceremony sanctioned by a Brahmin priest or village priest in accordance with the cultural customs of the location of the wedding. Balinese Wedding Ceremony is a unique wedding procession based on Balinese Hindu rituals where the couple will be inaugurated as husband and wife in a spirit realm using the Banten wedding facilities that have been prepared in advance, so marriage I To marry someone you love in a very special way should be a very special event held in a very exotic location. As a result, many westerners have chosen Bali as the location for their wedding. It has romance, mysticism, and a unique culture that will leave a lasting impression in a marriage using Balinese cultural customs.
HINDU RITUAL MARRIAGE CEREMONY BASED ON CULTURE AND CUSTOMS BY PERFORM SEVERAL STEP WEDDING PROCESSION
Meaning of a Balinese Wedding
Marriage is required in descending lineage, which is critical for Hindus in preserving lineage for future generations, and this lineage is carried by sons. Marriage in Bali is known as “Pewiwahan,” which is derived from the Vedas, which mention the term “Wiwaha Samskara,” which explains that wiwaha samskara is one of self-purification through marriage and as a dharma that must be carried out by men and women as husband and wife in various kinds of obligations, and marriage in Bali is also a traditional tradition that is included in the manusa yadnya ceremony This wedding ritual procession only formalizes the marriage according to customs and traditions, and once completed, the bride and groom will officially inaugurate the law by preparing a marriage certificate stating that the marriage has occurred and is witnessed by the families. According to cultural customs and existing laws, obtaining a marriage certificate makes this marriage official.
The Importance of Balinese Weddings in Society
Balinese Wedding Ceremony is an unforgettable experience for humans, where the procession is followed by Hindu rituals, custom regulations, and the perfect day based on the Balinese Hindu Calendar. During the procession, a wedding couple will wear beautiful uniforms that have all been adapted from the local. For Balinese, especially Balinese Hindus, their wedding is one of the most important events in their lives because it is a sign or announcement that he or she is about to enter a new stage of life by leaving the Brahmacari stage. When a man marries in Bali, he accepts responsibility as a member of society. He is granted the right to speak at a Banjar (community body) meeting and is required to perform social duties such as attending temple ceremonies and participating in community activities. Other Banjar members will recognize him as an adult as a result, and he will be able to take on more responsibility in the Banjar. A couple’s marriage will not be recognized in society if it is performed without a traditional sacred ceremony based on Hindu religious beliefs. The couple will also be excommunicated from their village.
Traditional Balinese Hindu Wedding Procedure
Balinese Hindu Wedding Traditional Process is marriage using Balinese customs in accordance with the local village cultural customs, in which the marriage process must follow the rules of local cultural customs, in which the marriage process will be officially recognized in a village if it has gone through the stages of the marriage, and Usually the cultural customs used are the customs and culture of the man who will pr The wedding process is quite complicated when using Balinese Hindu cultural customs, and there are many things that must be prepared for this very sacred process. In general, the process of marriage is the same, with the exception of a few minor differences, while the stages of the wedding process carried out with Hindu customs and culture in Bali are as follows:
Mesedek: The first day is mesedek, which means asking permission from the bride’s parents to propose to her. The groom’s parents will visit the bride’s home to meet the couple and introduce the groom. And no one else was present on this day; only the parents of the two brides-to-be met. Mesedek is performed so that the bride and groom’s parents understand how certain the groom is about starting a family with his daughter and how to assess the bride and groom’s attitudes and behavior. This event is significant because if the woman’s parents agree to the marriage contract on this day, the event is considered successful; if the woman’s parents do not agree, the marriage contract fails. If you have obtained the woman’s parents’ permission.
Dewasa Ayu: After getting permission from the bride’s parents to marry her daughter, the next step is to look for a good day of marriage, which is called Dewasa Ayu, which means a good day. On this day, the groom’s parents will visit the elders, or stakeholders, and can also ask for a good date to find a good date for the wedding, here the village elders or Sulinggih visited will give a good day according to Balinese customs and culture which is calculated based on the Balinese calendar which uses the 1 month system is 35 days and auspicious days should not be before major holidays such as Galungan and Kuningan, if possible after
Memadik: After deciding on a good day for the wedding ceremony, the groom will pick up the bride and bring her to the groom’s house three days before the wedding date. Village and customary elders, as well as representatives from both male and female families, will attend the memadik event. And on this day, the elders will be present, and the spokesperson will ask the prospective groom and bride about their ability to undergo marriage, as well as whether the prospective bride agrees to marry the groom, and if the bride and groom answer agree, the madik process will be considered a success, and it will be continued with a discussion about the family tree and how the groom’s cultural customs and the wedding process take place. On this day, the prospective bride will be brought to the groom’s house to participate in a number of ceremonial processes in accordance with local village cultural customs. Today, a welcoming ceremony for the bride and groom will be held at the man’s home; the ceremony will be as follows:
Mesegeh Agung: Is one of the ceremonies performed by the groom at the groom’s house to welcome the bride. Upon arrival at the groom’s residence, the bride will be covered with a yellow cloth on her head, before entering the yard area, will carry out a ceremonial procession called mesegeh agung, and the future mother-in-law will open the yellow cloth and exchange it for kepeng (ancient Balinese money). As for this ceremony, it represents the groom’s parents welcoming the bride into their home and becoming part of the family.
Mesakapan: This is a very important procession, usually held three days after the Memadik event, in which the bride and groom are formally married in a traditional ceremony led by Sulinggih or village officials. Mesaapan means to unite or form a bond between purusa and pradana as a couple. And this is a process that is witnessed on a large scale and on a niskala by utilizing Banten facilities. On this day, the groom and bride will go through a ritual process according to the groom’s customs and pray at the groom’s Sanggah under the supervision of the Sulinggih or village officials. According to customs and culture, the prospective bride and groom are legally married after this process. On this day, there are a number of ceremonies that must be performed, including:
(1) Mekala-kalaan: One of the ceremonies performed on the day of the ceremony / wedding to cleanse the two prospective brides from negative things, as well as the ceremony to clean the male and female germ cells so that later when they have a male child, and it is also hoped that in living their household in the future will be in harmony and can solve household problems well and without the intervention of others. This process has many meanings, all of which are prayers of blessing for the bride and groom so that they can live a good, harmonious household life. Several ritual processions are performed during the Mekala – Kalaan event, including the following procession:
- (1-A) Kala Sepetan: This is a mekala – kalaan ritual in which the two perform the ritual three times around Banten (a ritual ritual facility) and touch their feet at the time of the sepetan (a means for a wedding banten ceremony). The goal of this kala sepetan event is to purify and cleanse the bride and groom of negative influences in their bodies that they brought when they were single and expected to be clean and ready to live a married life.
- (1-B) Dagang – Dagangan: It is a mekala – kalaan ritual in which the bride and groom act as traders and buyers, with the bride carrying a basket containing merchandise that is then purchased by the groom. At this stage, the bride and groom will make buying and selling transactions as well as offers, which is then concluded by providing merchandise and payment. What is expected later, when you marry, will be abundant fortune.
- (1-C) Tusuk Tikeh: It is a mekala-kalaan ritual in which the procession is carried out by piercing a mat made of young pandan leaves, with the bride holding this impromptu mat and the groom stabbing the keris into the woven mat, so that the keris penetrates the woven mat. This procession represents the power of Sang Hyang Prakerti (the power of the yoni) and the keris represents the strength of Sang Hyang Purusa (the power of the phallus).
- (1-D) Mapegat: Is a ritual process of mekala – kalaan in which the bride and groom will choose a thread that will be tied to two branches of the dapap tree. Mapegat represents the end of adolescence and the beginning of a new household life with a clean and pure heart. An important ritual process in which you prepare to leave your single life and marry.
(2) Mewidhi Widana: This is the highest ritual ceremony in which the prospective bride and groom officially become husband and wife, as witnessed on a niskala and scale by performing prayers at the Family Temple from the male family led by Sulinggih or village officials. During this procession, the bride and groom will pray to the ancestors who live in the family temple for blessings on the arrival of new family members in the male family who will later carry on the descendants of their ancestors. Which is an important process to ask for the ancestors’ blessing so that they can become a harmonious family in the future.
(3) Ma Pejati: Is the final series of ceremonies performed by going to the bride’s house and praying at the Family Temple of the woman’s family, where this ceremony aims to say goodbye to the bride’s ancestors and follow the groom’s ancestors. A Patrilineal system in Bali where women will follow their husbands, the goal of this ritual is to ask permission from the ancestors to move to the husband’s new family. The groom and his family will bring traditional food to this ceremony, which will then be given to the woman’s family. In Bali, the final stage of a series of Hindu rituals or weddings.
Mejauman: This is the final process after the wedding, and the purpose of this ceremony is to meet the woman’s family. Because Mejauman is the official symbol of marriage on a sekala and niskala basis, tables have a very important sacred value in Balinese Hindu marriages. Table is derived from the root word “Jaum,” which means “needle,” and in this context means to join, knit, or string. What can be interpreted is that the two parties of the bridal family have a close relationship. Furthermore, the banquet serves as a form of thanksgiving to the ancestors and a request for blessings so that the bride’s household is always protected and blessed.
The preceding is a traditional wedding ritual and Hindu culture in general in Bali, and there are several villages that implement the wedding process differently but with the same goal of establishing two brides and grooms as husband and wife. The above marriage process is based on the marriage process that is commonplace in most villages in Bali. And the process of the wedding ceremony is for a traditional wedding ceremony in which the bride and groom have been blessed to marry. In addition to Hindus, there are foreign tourists who use this wedding ritual procession, which is expected to be able to establish a very harmonious household in the future.
Hindu Balinese Wedding Style
Marriage is very important for humans in order to provide successors or to find companions in life. Marriage is based on consent, so there are marriages that are held with an arranged marriage system, marriages that are held without the blessing of parents, and other marriages that are not typical. Different wedding rituals will be used in the various wedding processes. There are several rituals of the marriage process in Bali that are in accordance with the basis of the marriage, as shown below:
(1) Ngerorod: A type of marriage that does not receive the bride’s blessing, also known as “Running Bride.” Marriages like this were common in ancient times and are customary and cultural traditions that can still be passed down from generation to generation today, indicating that the Hindu community respects this marriage system. And there are times when those who have received both parents’ blessings use this marriage system. Some of the driving forces behind this ngerorod marriage.
- (1-A) Women and men who fall in love but are unable to obtain the blessing of the women’s parents due to differences in caste, class, and ethnicity. This may explain the occurrence of ngerorod marriages, in which the man secretly promises the woman to meet the man and go to the man’s house, and then there is a messenger from the man stating that the woman is at the man’s house and will have a wedding on the one hand at the male family.
- (1-B) Women and men who have received the blessing of both parties but are unable to marry normally due to economic factors can use the ngerorod marriage system, because the costs incurred are not too high, so it is very economical in the marriage system, and if you already have money, you can follow to get married normally even if you already have children, because Hindus believe that the process of the wedding ceremony should not be forgotten for the sake of harmony.
This type of marriage was very common in the past because there was no marriage law, but nowadays the ngerorod system can still be used as long as the woman is over the age of 18 and consensual, and if she is underage, men can face legal consequences for harassing minors. Because there is already a law that regulates marriage norms, and if a woman’s parents do not agree, it can be reported to the authorities as kidnapping, the ngerorod system today is primarily based on caste differences and economic difficulties.
(2) Memadik: Is a marriage process that is very commonly used by Hindus in Bali to get married, consisting of a very complex ceremony and this marriage receives the blessing of both parties, so this type of marriage is very frequently used because it appears more legitimate in the eyes of religion and law. is a Bali marriage form in which the boy’s parents and other family members come to the girl’s parents’ house and respectfully ask for their daughter. This is a costly process because large ceremonies and offerings are involved, but it is undeniably more respected by the girls’ parents than the clandestine night-time elopement. However, from the man’s perspective, it is more risky because the parents of his bride-to-be must approve. So this marriage is more carefully planned in advance, beginning with considering the ability of the woman’s parents to accept the prospective groom later, so that when the wedding process occurs in the future, there are no obstacles and it runs very smoothly.
(3) Nyentana: Is a marriage process that is the polar opposite of the marriage system in general; in Bali, a woman follows her husband and becomes a member of the husband’s family. Because the male lineage is strongly influenced in Bali and is thought to be capable of continuing the descendants of the ancestors. And if there are no men in the family and only women, then this Nyentana system is carried out by women acting as men by bringing men into their families, which is the opposite of what happened before when men brought women into their families. This is done to carry on the father’s ancestral lineage in the woman’s family. And the wedding ceremony is conducted in the usual manner, with the woman performing the process. This is only done if there are no men in one family, which is difficult because finding a male candidate who wants to be Nyentana is difficult due to most factors such as not being given permission by parents, difficulty leaving parents, and other factors. Finding someone who wants Nyentana is a difficult task because the man is willing to leave his ancestors and parents and move to a woman’s family ancestor in order to become a member of the family.
Different Caste Balinese Wedding
In ancient times, the kingdom of Bali was still known as the caste system, and the Balinese people were very fanatical about caste, with a man and woman of different castes not allowed to marry in order to have a generation that was pure from that caste. If anyone breaks this rule, they will be exiled by the village from the man’s or woman’s parents. Today, caste is still highly respected, but the exile system has been replaced by a ceremonial procession system in which if the male caste is higher and marries a lower caste woman, the caste of the woman rises and the woman is named “Jero,” whereas if the man is of low caste and marries a woman of high caste, the woman gives up her caste status “Nyerod,” which means descending caste. The women will follow the man with a low caste if she has children, and the woman will not be allowed to pray in her family temple because she has changed caste. If the parents divorce, the child will be equal to the husband’s caste and will not be able to return to the previous caste. However, this has become less important over time, as parents are more concerned with their daughters’ happiness than with caste. So, while some places no longer adapt, others continue to do so. Marriage is a very sacred institution that brings men and women who love each other to the next level in order to organize the future and have children as the heirs of the family lineage. If you want to marry, you should plan ahead of time because after marriage, you can’t go back because you have responsibilities, namely family.
