MELASTI, a piece of Balinese Hindu's ritual in Yogyakarta Category : Art & Culture
Widely known as a multicultural city, you can find various ritual from various religious and faith in Yogyakarta. Government support on these rituals with no boundaries to specific religious / faith also made this as an enriching factor for alternative attractions to those who visits Yogyakarta. In times, some of these rituals became very famous and attracts tourists to come to Yogyakarta.
One of these popular ritual is Melasti ritual of Balinese Hindu. Originaly founded and implemented amongst Balinese hindu people in Bali island, Melasti became as a routine ritual once every year for mostly Balinese Hindus who lived in Yogyakarta and also some local people. Taking place mostly at southern beaches of Yogykarta, yearly Melasti ritual will take it main events at Parangkusumo beach and Ngobaran beach according to ancient Balinese Hindu's calendar (March / April in modern calendar). Hundreds of pilgrims will eventually occupied areas in every beach.
Believed in Balinese Hindu followers as a must do ritual few days before Hari Raya Nyepi (Silent Day), Melasti usually taking places in beaches, lakes or springs with purposes to throw away impurities, miseries and poor mundane elements. Some saying that this ritual also known as purification ritual so the entire Universe will live in perfect harmony. Hundreds of pilgrims in Parangkusumo and Ngobaran beach will pray together led by their Hindu's priest, followed then by emmerses traditional offerings to the sea. Depends of each family or person's tradition from their village where their descendant originaly come from Bali, these offerings coming in various style and weight, some of these are very simple, some are very complex and heavy but mostly rich of colours.
Another interesting sight for this ritual in Parangkusumo / Ngobaran beach is pilgrimer's clothes. Some of them are wearing traditional Balinese Hindu's clothes, others are wearing traditional Javanese's clothes. Some of people wearing Javanese traditional clothes are native locals which are believed some of them are not purely Hindu, but they join the ritual rather to respect their ascendat, either their descendants were coming from Bali island long time ago or was Hindu followers in the past when Hindu is still a major faith in Java island.
