The Balinese people are an Austronesian ethnic group and nation native to the Indonesian island of Bali. Their culture is a mixture of Balinese Hindu-Buddhist religion and Balinese customs.Â
They are perhaps most known for their dance, drama, and rich culture.
The Balinese people have the tradition of filing the teeth of their female children when they reach adolescence. The ritual is called Potong gigi, or mesangih or mepandes.Â
Traditional Balinese belief states that “protruding canines represent the animal-like nature of human beings”; and the purpose of the ritual is to sever ties with these animal instincts and also to show others that the individual is old enough to marry.
Considered a generational ritual, parents of adolescents performing it consider it their “final duty” in being a parent before their child becomes an adult.
Apart from this, the ceremony allows the participants to figure out their true nature and free them from Sad Ripu influence.Â
Sad Ripu is supposedly six types of enemy in the human character that comes from bad behaviour. These are Kama – lustful, Lobha – greedy, Krodha – cruel and grumpy, Mada – madness, Moha – arrogance, and Matsarya – envy and jealousy.
Of course, the difference between kids and adults will be when distinct characteristics start appearing in them.Â
For the females, maturity can be seen after their first menstruation and males when their voice changes.Â
These characteristics can be used as an initial basis that the child is ready for Mepandes. But, the time for conducting Mepandes ceremony is not immediate. The ceremony also depends on the family’s financial condition as well
The Balinese also believe that those who do not go through the Potong Gigi ceremony will be punished later in hell by Bhatara Yamadipati (God of Death).Â
As much as the Balinese claim the ritual cleanse the participants of all evil, do you think it just ends there?Â
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