Balinese take on `ngayah' jobs

Ni Komang Erviani, THE JAKARTA POST, ARANGASEM | Sat, 03/21/2009 2:23 PM

It was still early morning on Friday when Ni Luh Putu Sriyani left her house in Kerobokan village, Badung regency, to got to work at a private hospital on Jl. Gatot Subroto in Denpasar.

But unlike the other days, Sriyani was wearing a traditional kebaya blouse and carried a small traditional knife in her purse.

Working together: Balinese Hindus perform the Ngayah (voluntary duty) Friday to prepare for the Panca Wali Krama festival, at Besakih Temple in Karangasem. The Ngayah is a Balinese tradition to prepare for traditional and religious events. (JP/Ni Komang Erviani)

Together with her colleagues, Sriyani headed to Besakih temple, the largest in Bali, located in Karangasem regency.

The temple - located on the foothill of Mt. Agung, the highest mountain in Bali - was already busy with preparations for the once-in-a-decade Panca Wali Krama ritual, which will be held April 9, coinciding with voting day for the legislative elections.

Sriyani and her friends are performing ngayah to help prepare for the rare festival.

Ngayah or ngaturang ayah could be described as the practice of voluntarily working together for a customary or religious event. It is part Balinese societies strong sense of tradition.

Each person performs a voluntary duty according to his or her ability.

Sriyani decided to contribute her majejahitan skills and created various ceremonial objects from janur, or young coconut leaves.

Her co-worker Eka Wardani meanwhile brought a long a sapu lidi (broom made of coconut leaf bones) to sweep the pura yard.

For them taking part in preparing for Panca Wali Krama is a source of pride.

"I'm glad that I can help," Sriyani quipped.

While Eka said she was happy to help, "although I could not do much," she added modestly.

Hundreds of other Balinese Hindu contributed what they could on Friday to prepare for the festival, which will reach its peak on March 25 and April 9.

Organizing Committee Chairman I Wayan Gunatra said between 500 and 700 people from various parts of Bali had been coming to the temple everyday since Feb. 13.

"During weekends the volunteers can easily reach thousands of people," he said.

Devotees not only contribute their skills but also what they can materially. The committee has received cash and goods worth a total of Rp 347 million (US$29,500) as of Friday.

Meanwhile, the Bali provincial administration has allocated some Rp 1.6 billion for a series of ceremonies which will end on April 24.

Gunatra, who is also the bendesa (customary leader) for Besakih, said volunteers had helped the committee a great deal, as carrying out all of its duties on its own would be impossible.

Panca Wali Krama, a ceremony believed to be able to cleanse the universe from all negative forces, requires massive amounts of ceremony paraphernalia in the form of flowers, janur, bamboo and other crops.

"The ngayah voluntary duty symbolizes a human's devotion to the Almighty One as well as ensures the ceremony's success," Gunatra said.