Since dawn on Monday, wave upon wave of Hindu adherents flocked to the beaches in Sanur village for the Melasti procession, a ritual aimed at purifying the body and soul, as well as the temple’s paraphernalia. Strips of beaches in Sanur, including Padanggalak, Matahari Terbit, Sindu and Mertasari beaches are the traditional Melasti sites for the community in Denpasar and Badung. To accommodate the need of all the communities, the beaches will be opened for Melasti until Wednesday.

The Melasti purification ritual is held to welcome the celebration of Nyepi, the Hindu Saka Lunar New Year. Also known as the Day of Silence, Nyepi falls on Thursday.

Dressed in traditional white attire, members of the traditional communities arrived at the beaches and took up the designated spots for their respective Desa Pekraman (traditional customary village). Each Desa Pekraman carried several jempana (wooden thrones), upon which the Pratima (sacred effigies) were placed, while the rest of the adherents carried colorful offerings. The vivacious melodies of the Bleganjur traditional ensembles filled the beaches with a lively atmosphere.

Some of the traditional communities arrived at the beaches by foot, but there were also scores of adherents who arrived by truck and motorcycle. “Members of the Desa Pekraman of Peguyangan Kaja, Tonja, Penatih and Poh Manis used vehicles to reach the beaches,” said Denpasar Transportation Agency official I Ketut Suryawan. Suryawan and 25 other officials assisted the traffic police in managing traffic around the Melasti sites.

Sanur Development Foundation (YPS) head I.B. Gede Sidharta Putra said Sanur’s three customary villages would hold the Melasti ritual in the afternoon instead of in the morning. “All customary villages will deploy their Pecalang (traditional guardsmen) to maintain security during the street procession from the temples to the beaches,” he said. The Melasti ritual has slowed down traffic at roads in and around Sanur. Similar rituals have also taken place at the famed Kuta and Tanah Lot beaches.

“Our village will conduct Melasti at dawn on Tuesday,” I Gusti Suarsana of Penebel customary village said.

News written by Wasti Atmodjo
Published on The Bali Post