the vibrant ritual
These ceremonial dances and dramas directly relate to religious ceremonies by serving as an offering, a prayer, or an exorcism of evil spirits. Presented with the active participation of kepemangku (the people’s priest and care¬taker of the village temple). they are a dramatic form of contact with the spiritual world, and this communicative purpose runs parallel throughout a performance.
As religious dances , they are usually held within or near a temple. Pendet may be danced whenever there is occasion to present an offering. In the Sanghyang , in which the dancers enter trance prior to dancing, the ceremony begins in the temple and a procession is formed to march to the dance clearing nearby. Because of their association with evil spirits, the Calon Arang and Barong plays are gennerally held near the temple of the dead and the graveyard, which are thought to be favorite meeting places of witches and their disciples.
The masks of the Barong and Rangda also bear a spiritual significance Because of their relation to the forces of magic and their power to exorcise evil spirits, they are considered sakti, magically powerful Only certain carvers, no matter how exquisite their work, are capable of fashioning a new mask of this kind. A purification ceremony with elaborate offerings is always held to initiate a new Barong or Rangda mask. When they are not being used in the play, the masks are kept in a special pavilion within the temple, where they are displayed amidst heaps of flower and fruit offerings during temple festivals (see page 109). The Rangda mask, capable of emitting dangerous vibrations, is always kept covered by a white cloth as security to contain its magic. The cloth is only removed immediately before the drama, by the Rangda actor as he enters the stage. Some masks considered extremely sakti are over a hundred years old. a.id are followed by large processions whenever they leave the temple.
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