Ababi’s ritual of warriors - The sun had almost disappeared into the horizon when the usually peaceful village of Ababi, Karangasem, was taken over by a bastion of proud warriors.
Dozens of men swarmed the village main street with krisses drawn on their hands. Bare-chested, they wore sarongs draped with poleng (checkered black and white cloth) and blazing red udeng (headgear).
Their upper torso glistened under the scorching sun as they rushed along the road. In unison, they repeatedly raised their hands, their krisses pointed at the sky, to show their readiness to attack.
Testosterone crowd: Bare-chested men wearing sarongs draped with poleng (checkered black and white cloth) and blazing red udeng (headgear) brandish their kris to show their readiness to attack in the village of Ababi, Karangasem, during Nyeret, an ancient procession staged every two years on the day of Purnama Kapat.
Following them was a procession of a less aggressive character. Hundreds of men and women carried various offerings and sacred objects, such as jempana (wooden thrones of the deities), pratima (statues) and the temple’s banners.
The menacing march was part of the Nyeret, an ancient procession staged every two years, on the day of Purnama Kapat, the full moon on the fourth month of Balinese traditional calendar — which falls around September or October. On that day, villagers hold a major temple festival at the village’s Puseh temple.
“Nyeret is usually held on the third day of the temple festival,” said the temple’s priest Jro Mangku Ketut Kaler Astawa.
During the procession, the participants march from Puseh temple to Laga temple in the neighboring village of Pidpid, three kilometers along the main streets, dirt roads and narrow alleys.
Upon arrival at Laga temple, the warriors of Ababi invite the deity of the temple, Ida Bhatara Anglurah Sakti, to join the feast of the deities at Puseh temple. They then escort the statue of Ida Bhatara Anglurah Sakti back to Puseh temple.
“Nyeret is a symbolic display of the Ababi people’s commitment to protect and defend Dharma [the truth] as well as their loyalty and devotion to the gods and deities,” he added.
A ritual for all: As part of the ritual, villagers gather at the Laga Temple, bringing offerings to the deities.
One of the village’s elders, Made Adnyana, explained the word nyeret meant “to draw”, an obvious reference to the krisses drawn on the participants’ hands.
As the participants made their way back to Ababi, the villagers had lined the road leading to Puseh temple.
They carried colorful offerings for the deities. When the armed entourage reached the outer courtyard of Puseh temple, the elders of Ababi fell into a trance.
They danced with closed eyes as if they greeted the deity of the Laga temple. The participants of Nyeret then encircled the temple’s inner sanctum thrice before ending Nyeret with a joint prayer.
“Nyeret is an old tradition that has been carried out since feudal times,” the temple’s priest said, adding that unfortunately nobody knew the exact date of the first Nyeret.
The Karangasem kingdom, arguably the strongest military power in feudal Bali, drew a large number of its warriors from Ababi during feudal times.
“We still have a war council and warriors council in the structure of the village administration. The councils are known as Pauman Luput and Pauman Manca,” he said.
While younger generations of Ababi’s warriors do not always understand the philosophy or symbolism of Nyeret, they still joined in the procession with an enthusiasm that would make their ancestors proud.
An Ababi youth, I Wayan Pasek Wasma, who lives and works in Denpasar, participated in the last Nyeret. The experience filled his heart with both joy and melancholy.
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