The Island of Bali is indeed a storehouse of unique and sacred rituals. The Ngusabha Desa and Ngusabha Nini (Bukakak) ceremonies are one of the traditions held in Buleleng District, especially at Giri Emas Village (Sangsit Dangin Yeh Customary Village) organized every two years coinciding with the full moon of Sasih Kadasa or April.

On that occasion, the Acting Regent of Buleleng, Ketut Lihadnyana, attended the Ngusaba Bukakak ceremony at Giri Emas Village Temple, Sawan Subdistrict, on Thursday (Apr 6). Committee Chairman of the Ngusabha ritual, Wayan Sunarsa, explained that the Ngusabha Bukakak is in the form of an eagle made of young palm leaves decorated with red hibiscus flowers.

Furthermore, Sunarsa stated that Bukakak itself is a symbol of the combination of the Shiva, Vishnu and Sambhu sects. In this case, the material placed inside the Bukakak is a pig symbolizing Lord Sambhu whose body has been partially roasted. “Only the back (is roasted), while the abdomen is left raw. So that the pig has three colors (Tri Datu), namely red (roasted part), black (haired and unroasted part) and white (the part remaining raw while the fur has been removed),” he explained.

Additionally, his party conveyed that the Bukakak is prepared in the morning right on the day of ceremony. Having been partially roasted, village residents gather at Pasek Temple or Subak Temple to start the Bukakak series. All selected adult villagers carry the Bukakak or sarad ageng, while those who are still teenagers are only allowed to carry the small one.“Teenagers aged 12 years and over put on white and yellow clothes to carry the small sarad, while adult men aged 17 years and over put on white and red clothes have the task to carry the big one,” he explained. The Ngusaba Bukakak aims to express gratitude to Ida Sang Hyang Widi Wasa (God) in His manifestation as the goddess of fertility, for the fertility extended to the soil and all the abundant agricultural products. (BTN/Dp)