Steps of Balinese wedding ceremonies according to Balinese customs and their meaning and purpose. The Holy Veda and Hindu laws that apply in society guide the marriage process of Hindu Balinese wedding.
- Mesedek
Mesedek is the first event in a traditional Balinese wedding customs. In this event, the parents of the groom came to the bride’s house to introduce themselves. Mesedek is also done to propose to the girl to be the life partner of the man.
Mesedek is also done so that the parents of the bride-to-be know how firmly the groom wants to build a household and what his attitude is. This event is considered a success when the bride’s parents agree.
2. Madewasa Ayu
The Madewasa Ayu is held after the woman’s parents agreed that their child would be asked to marry the man she loved. In this process, a good day and date according to the balinese calendar is determined to hold the wedding, usually determined by the groom based on the advice of a Hindu priest who will also lead the Balinese wedding ceremonies to the couple.
3. Ngekeb
The Ngekeb ceremony is carried out by bathing and washing the hair of the bride with a special scrub. This special scrub is made from a mixture of peacock leaves, ylang flowers, turmeric, and mashed rice. This scrub is also smeared all over the bride’s body in the afternoon.
After that, the bride enters the bridal room which has been provided with offerings and is not allowed to leave until the groom picks her up.
When the groom arrives at the bridal chamber, the woman must be covered with a thin yellow cloth from head to toe. This Ngekeb ceremony means that the woman has buried her past deeply and is ready to live a new chapter of life with her future husband.
4. Ngungkab Lawang
Ngungkab Lawang means opening the door or opening the gate. This ceremony is carried out by picking up the girl by the man and bring them for nine series of rituals including Pejati and Suci Alit, Peras Pengambean, Caru Ayam Brumbun Asoroh, Bayekawonan, Prayascita, Pangulapan, Segehan Panca Warna, Segehan Seliwang Atanding, and Segehan Agung.
Before performing this rituals, the groom recites Vedic verses and the bride responds with Vedic verses from the bride and then throws betel leaves. This throwing is done with the aim of rejecting the evil forces that may come during the procession.
5. Medagang-dagangan
The next ceremony is Medagang-dagangan, which in the Balinese language means trading. In this process the bride and groom are asked to haggle about the merchandise until it reaches the payment stage.
The bride sits on a tier of coconut fibers and offers her wares to the groom. When the transaction is complete, the groom tore the impromptu tikeh/ traditional mat held by the bride with a kris. After that, the two of them took three fertility ingredients in the form of taro, carriage, and turmeric to be planted behind the sanggah kemulan.
The bride and groom then break the thread that is tied to two branches of the dapdap tree. Then take a shower to clean themselves.
6. Makala-kala Ceremony
The Makala-kala ceremony or also called the Bhuta Witness/Pertiwi Witness ceremony is carried out by the two brides by burning the tetimpug on a brick stove and in a sitting position.
Tetimpug are three pieces of bamboo that have three or five segments tied together. This ceremony aims to build a fortress of protection to avoid the danger of bhutakala which can interfere and eliminate the sanctity of the married life of the bride and groom.
7. Metegen-tegenan and sun-suunan
The next ceremony is metegen-tegenan and suun-suunan. Metegen-tegenan is borne by the groom, while sunun-suunan is upheld by the bride. The two of them walked around the sacred fire called Sanggah Matahari clockwise seven times.
The couple were tied with belts, with the man at the front and the girl following behind. Both of them undergo the seven steps of saptapadi, each of which contains a different marriage vows while chanting a prayer.
This prayer is recited in Sanskrit by the groom and then translated into Balinese by the bride. This ceremony is a symbol of the beginning of the journey of the two brides to navigate the ark of life together.
8. Majauman
Majauman is an official visit to the bride’s house after all the ceremonies are completed. Based on its name, the word “jaum” means needle which implies a needle’s function to knit and reunite the two families after tensions occur.
This ceremony is carried out in the ngarorod marriage system which usually occurs due to disapproval from the girl’s family due to caste differences. Therefore, the bride run away to the man’s house and get married.
Majauman also aims to inform God Hyang Guru and ancestors about their marriage and ask for protection to avoid harm.
9. Natab Pawetonan
Natab pawetonan in the Balinese wedding ceremonies is a ritual performed in the mepadik marriage system. This ritual is carried out on the bed by giving gifts in the form of valuable items such as jewelry and clothes by the groom to the mother of the bride.
This valuable item is a symbol of “substitute breast milk”. This symbolizes the hope that the mother’s task in educating, raising, and protecting her child has been completed and transferred to the prospective husband.
10. Tadtadan
Provision (Tadtadan) is done by giving a set of jewelry or worship clothes from the mother to her daughter.
This ceremony symbolizes a hope that the child will always remember the services of his mother who had struggled in giving birth to him. Meanwhile, worship clothing is a symbol that the child is expected to continue to worship God Almighty.
11. Mejaya-jaya
The Mejaya-jaya ceremony is the last traditional Balinese wedding ceremony. This ceremony is carried out after the bride and groom have legally become husband and wife. This ceremony symbolizes the hope that they will always be given convenience and guidance from the God Sanghyang Pramesti Guru.
After the Mejaya-jaya ceremony, the bride and groom are not allowed to go out/travel for three consecutive days and must stay at home to carry out their obligations as husband and wife. This rule is believed to increase the intimacy of the relationship between the bride and groom and so that the man can give a lot of advice to his wife. This is also a form of respect for the family from the woman’s side in the hope that the family ties will continue to be closely intertwined.