Balinese crowd to go into a trance in Petitalan Pengerebongan Temple

DENPASAR (indo.com): Travelers to Bali will have a great opportunity to see how Balinese crowd are in a state of trance when a temple festival is held at Petitalan Pengerebongan Temple, Kesiman Village, East of Denpasar. The festival will be held in February 1, 2004.

The ritual, which usually begins in the afternoon, is called "ngerebong" when a group of temple adherents in a state of trance stab themselves with "kris", a short dagger to show that the rituals have proceeded accordingly. In the morning, a cock fighting is also held as part of the rituals.

Trance, a medium frequently used in cultural-religious Balinese community, is believed to satisfy a supernatural world when a ceremony commences. The trance is frequently seen in every temple in Bali.

Balinese believe trance is a way of god (bhatara) and his followers or the guardians (ancangan) to show their presence in the ceremony. Trance as a ceremonial medium is believed to be the manifestation of a God who has agreed to come to the ceremony. A trance event becomes a unity in one ceremony because it adds to the humility and subservience of a ceremony.

If a group of people goes into a trance, they will scream and then stab themselves with kris, but, strangely, there's no blood from their bodies. Others hold fire until it extinguishes but, strangely, nothing happens to their hands and bodies.