Balinese Weeding Ceremony
In Balinese Hindus, the term pawiwahan is known. Based on the journal Pawiwahan Ceremony in Hinduism by Luh Sukma Ningsih, the Pawiwahan ceremony is included in the yadnya human ceremony,
Pawiwahan is actually a sacred bond and commitment throughout life as husband and wife, and is the strongest social bond that exists between men and women. This Viwaha has an important position and is considered noble in the life of Hindus.
In this case, a pair of men and women bind themselves to each other physically and mentally. They will become a married couple to build a household and carry out joint responsibilities in it.
According to the Manusmrti book, wiwaha is both obligatory and religious because it is closely related to the obligation of parents to give birth to a son in order to atone for their own sins.
This pawiwahan ceremony aims to produce offspring who will then be able to carry on their mandate and responsibility to their ancestors through a purification ceremony (mabyakala). Series of Pawiwahan Ceremonies
The pawiwahan ceremony involves three testimonies, namely from the bhuta witness (mabyakala ceremony), the god witness (natab banten pawiwahan ceremony), and the human witness (from the presence of traditional prajuru, family, and other invitees).
The following is a series of pawiwahan ceremonies.
Determining a Good Day
The Pawiwahan ceremony begins by determining auspicious days according to the Balinese Hindu calendar. This date is usually chosen starting from the day the prospective groom arrives for Nyedek and the day the wedding takes place.
The day is chosen based on the agreement of both families. The choice of this day is quite important because it can affect the smooth running of the ceremony and their lives when they are married and married.
Naughty
Ngekeb is the process of preparing the prospective bride so that she can be ready to welcome the groom.
The Ngekeb ceremony aims to prepare the bride and groom mentally and offer prayers in front of Ida Sang Hyang Widhi so that they will be awarded a happy marriage.
Picking up prospective brides
The bride and groom are then picked up by the groom’s family to the groom’s residence.
When picked up, the bride must wear traditional Balinese clothing with a thin yellow blanket covering her from head to toe. This is a symbol that the prospective bride is ready to leave her bachelorhood behind and get married.
Mungkah Lawang
The pick-up also cannot be random. The prospective bride will wait in her room, then a representative of the prospective bridegroom will come knocking on her bedroom door.
This moment was also accompanied by a typical Balinese song asking for the door to be opened. After that, the bride is taken to the groom’s residence.
Mesegeh Agung
Before they can enter the courtyard of the house, the bride and groom will perform a grand mesegeh ceremony. This procession is a symbol of welcome from the groom to the bride.
The yellow blanket which was originally worn by the bride-to-be was then lifted by her future mother-in-law and then exchanged for satakan money. This became a symbol of the new world and buried all the past.
Mekala-kalaan or Mabyakala
The Mabyakala ceremony is a ceremony to cleanse the bride and groom physically and mentally, especially the woman’s sukla, which is the male germ cell and the female germ cell so that they can form a suputra fetus.
The sequence of the Mabyakala ceremony process is as follows.
A puja ceremony is carried out led by a ceremonial leader.
Burning tetimpug until a sound comes out as a symbol of notification to the bhuta kala who will receive pakala-kalaan.
The bride and groom step over the tetimpug 3 times and face the pabyakalaan banten.
The hands of the bride and groom are cleaned using segau/plain flour.
The toes of the bride and groom touch raw chicken eggs 3 times.
The bride and groom carry out a hug.
The bride and groom walk around the offering of testimony and kala sepetan. The bride must walk in front while holding the sok merchandise (symbol of children) and the groom hits the tegen-tegenan (symbol of earning a living). When passing the kala sepetan, the right thumb must touch the basket of the kala sepetan symbol. The bride is hit with 3 sticks by the groom while walking as a symbol of a life and death agreement.
The bride and groom cut the pegatan thread, a sign that they have entered the Grahasta period.
Mewidhi Widana
The bride and groom then pray at the male family’s sanggah and are led by the sanggah leader.
This ceremony aims to inform the male family members that there is a new arrival in their family who will continue their lineage. In this way, the marriage will be valid in front of customs and society.
Mejauman
The Mejauman ceremony is a ceremony of saying goodbye to the ancestors of the bride’s family because she has now been married and is the responsibility of the groom’s family.
The bride and groom will come to the woman’s family carrying offerings containing alem, sumping, ketipat pillow, couscous, apem, sumping, kekupa, wajik, fruit and typical Balinese side dishes.