Daratan – Selumbung

The sacred Ngusaba Daratan ceremony in the Pura Puseh temple of Selumbung is one of my favourite ceremonies in Bali. Selumbung is a small traditional village in Karangasem, on the lower slopes of Gunung Agung, in East Bali.

Men and women dance around with incense sticks and offers, dancing in a trance like state to the beats and rythms of the traditional gamelan. Some women run around with closed eyes, a grim face and screaming as if they are in pain. Some men take a kris, a traditional dagger, and try to stab themselves, or cut their arms. Other men carry around palanquins, filled with sacred objects covered in dried grass and sacred cloth. Eyes closed, and often an eery grin on their face…