PERANG PANDAN
Tenganan Perang Pandan is unique to Tenganan village. In Indonesian, the word “perang pandan” is a two-word noun, and this war dance in Tenganan village is known as “makare-karean.” This event takes place during the temple ceremony known as ” Ngusaba “. It’s strange because the rest of Bali knows about this type of ceremony, especially those who live on lowland with rice irrigation systems called ” Ngusaba Nini “. The basic idea behind this ceremony is to ask for a plentiful rice harvest. This is not a regular ceremony in the lowlands, but it is decided by village elders and ritual leaders in a plenary meeting. This war dance tradition can only be seen in Bali’s oldest traditional village, Tenganan village, where they fight and rub pandan thorns against the enemy’s body with weapons made of thorny pandan leaves and round shields made of rattan. A breathtaking and spectacular war dance tradition to witness.
A UNIQUE WAR DANCE TRADITION FROM TENGANAN VILLAGE WHICH IS THE OLDEST VILLAGE ON THE ISLAND OF BALI
Location of Perang Pandan
The Perang Pandan or War Dance location is in Tenganan village, Karangasem district, in a village that still carries a very unique traditional and is classified as Bali’s oldest village and is often referred to as Bali Aga, those in Tenganan village can use our transportation services, namely Private Hire Car and Driver with relatively cheap prices and satisfying service. However, this war dance, or perang pandan, is only performed once a year, and the date is determined by the Balinese calendar, which has 35 days in a month. The location of perang pandan or war dance at Tenganan villagw which is about 2 hours away if you depart from Kuta area and about 1 hour 30 if you depart from Ubud, you can easily find the location of this Tenganan village which is the location of a very sensational war of views show using Google Maps.
History of Perang Pandan
The villagers of Tenganan previously believed in the Hindu religion of Indra, and considered the god Indra to be the highest god who did not discriminate based on caste, and Tenganan was thought to be a gift from the god Indra. This is based on a mythological story that circulates about a cruel king named Maya Denawa who considered himself a god and forbade his people from praying to temples and instead told them to worship him as a god. Because of Dewa Indra’s status as the god of war, the gods were enraged and sent the god Indra to fight Maya Denawa. A fierce battle ensued between Mayadenawa and Dewa Indra, which was eventually won by Dewa Indra, and the day of the war is now commemorated with the Pandan War ceremony. Since then, this pandanus war ceremony has been held to commemorate the village of Tenganan’s long history. A very exciting war show that is watched by the younger generation of this Tenganan village, a very memorable and rare moment to be able to see the uniqueness of the pandanus war show, which is phenomenally beautiful.
Date Set for Perang Pandan
Perang Pandan is a regular ceremony held in the village temple and is based on the aka year calendar. Tenganan is specific, and ” Ngusaba ” is from a mid-Balinese vocabulary (ca. 14 to 16 century A.D.), during a period when Majapahit influence was increasing. aka year is a lunar calendar that was developed 78 years after the Christian Era ( 78 Anno Domini ). Because this ceremony is based on the aka year and the Hindu-Java calendar, it is difficult to predict the exact International Calendar date on which this ceremony will take place. We can only know the exact date about 6 months in advance. While the Hindu-Java calendar has 210 days. Balinese people use both systems at the same time and mix them up. So there will be a ceremony every 210 days and every 365 days. So, if you want to know for sure when it will be held, please contact us as soon as possible, and we will find out when exactly this pandan war takes place, because the calendar is different from the normal calendar, making it very difficult to determine when this pandan war or war dance event will take place.
Perang Pandan’s Distinctive Tradition
Despite the fact that each Bali Aga village is unique, they all share nearly the same way of thinking. Religion, customs, arts, architecture, economy, and other cultural aspects are all seen as one entity by them, and they are all involved in their creations and works. The dance, for example. Dance is regarded as a ritual requirement, amusement, and educational medium. While dance can be a performance of any art form, such as the idea of woman beauty, warrior strength, prime minister wisdom, or animal behavior that the artist wishes to imitate and translate into dance. There is no doubt that Perang Pandan originated as a war dance or self-defense practice, which was later adopted by the rest of the world’s ethnics in a different form and fashion. The only difference in Bali is that almost all dances are required as part of a ritual. This pandanus war is more of a war dance form, because the participants carry pandanus weapons and rub against their opponents’ backs, so it’s more of a fighting show, which is a very unique tradition from Tenganan village, Bali’s oldest village.
Fighting Under the Perang Pandan Rule
There are no fighting rules for makare-karean or perang pandan, except that the dance is more favored by the younger generation. Instead of a dancer, the term “fighters” may be a more appropriate name for perang pandan. The fighters bring sharp edged pandanus leaves in one hand, while the other hand holds a bamboo or rattan woven body shield to protect the body from the opponent’s provocation. Only one person serves as a referee. The fight resulted in a scratch on the skin caused by thorny pandanus leaves, which caused bleeding. After the fighting, no one is safe from the scratches of the pandanus leaves, which are only smaller or wider. Following the fight, the ritual leader applies a herbal medicine-infused oil to the scratch and distributes holy water to the fighters. Fighters have no heart feelings, and they all eat together on banana leaves. You should not hold grudges in this pandanus war because it is a tradition that will strengthen the sense of togetherness among fellow residents in the village, making the village very harmonious, a tradition that is very unique and has been preserved until now.
Perang Pandan Sequence of Events
Before beginning the pandan war ceremony, several ceremonies will be performed first, in which participants will go around the village as a form of requesting salvation from the gods, after which they will continue with the ritual of drinking tuak together, tuak is a type of Balinese alcoholic drink that is collected and dumped next to the stage. And the participants will prepare by sitting around the arena, and the village officials who serve on the committee here will signal the start of the war. This pandanus war begins with a number of two people in the arena who will take thorny pandanus weapons and round rattan shields and dance while hitting their enemies with prickly pandanus and sometimes rubbing each other’s weapons on their backs, this fight lasts about a minute or two, and they will take turns with other participants. And this pandanus war frequently results in blood on the back, and despite the blood, the participants appear very happy because it is an expression of gratitude and a way of honoring the god of the senses. After the war, the injured participants are smeared with traditional turmeric ingredients before praying at the temple. Even though the participants are injured and bleeding, they will not hold grudges against other participants because this is a sacred tradition that should not be held grudges. Following that, it was followed by a joint meal in which the participants would eat together in one big plate; this tradition was eaten alongside the megibung tradition in order to further strengthen the participants’ sense of brotherhood.
Pandan Perang Clothes
The clothes used in the pandanus war are derived from a very famous traditional craft in Tenganan, namely Pegringsingan ikat weaving, in which participants will wear a sarong made of Pegringsingan ikat weaving, which is the Tenganan village’s hallmark. Furthermore, participants wear udeng, which is a headband worn on the head that reflects the characteristics of Bali, and here participants do not wear clothes or bare chest, only the bottom part of a sarong tied with a scarf. And the participants in this fight will not be wearing shoes. A very unique tradition that preserves the culture and customs of Tenganan village, the oldest village on the island of Bali. If you want to buy pegringsingan woven fabric, you can do so in Tenganan village because pegringsingan tegenungan fabric is produced in Tenganan village, ensuring its authenticity. Using a double tie, which necessitates a lengthy manufacturing process, as well as natural coloring made from natural ingredients.
