The scary-looking ogoh-ogoh (papier-mâché
giant dolls) have evolved from a side show into the highlight of the
torch-lit street parade on the evening before Balinese Hindus celebrate
Nyepi, the Day of Silence, arguably the quietest new year celebration in
the world. In the last few years, the making of ogoh-ogoh has become
one of the most important activities for Balinese youths, who are
grouped into their respective hamlets’ youth association known as sekeha
teruna-teruni. These groups try to outdo each other by presenting the
biggest, the scariest, or the most sophisticated ogoh-ogoh during the
torch-lit parade.
Consequently, the parade has become
livelier with the presence of ogoh-ogoh with fiery eyes constructed from
electric light bulbs, mechanically-driven rotating heads, and a booming
techno sound produced by a powerful Japanese-made sound system. As
hotels and other tourism establishments started organizing their own
mini ogoh-ogoh parades or displaying the scary dolls in their grounds,
the demand for ogoh-ogoh has soared and a new industry specializing in
producing ogoh-ogoh was born. The GASES, an acronym for the Association
of Sesetan Youths, is one of the largest ogoh-ogoh workshops in Bali.
The workshop lies on Jl. Raya Sesetan in
south Denpasar and could easily be identified by the presence of a
five-meter-tall statue of Gajah Mada, the famous prime minister of East
Java’s Majapahit kingdom that annexed Bali in the 14th century, in front
of the workshop. Dozens of workers are employed in the workshop, which
also produces various ritual paraphernalia, including bade (cremation
towers) and wooden sarcophagi. GASES’ founder, Mangku Candra, said
foreign tourists often visited the workshop to learn the art of making
ogoh-ogoh. “I have never set a fixed rate for those who want to learn
the technique of crafting ogoh-ogoh,” he said.
The price of a complete ogoh-ogoh
produced by this workshop ranges from Rp 500,000 (US$52.22) to Rp 30
million. The materials used and the elaborateness of the adornment
influence the price of the ogoh-ogoh. Ogoh-ogoh first entered the
public’s consciousness in the 1980s. The actual origin and history of
the dolls, however, have yet to be fully determined. The Balinese are
generally in agreement on the function of ogoh-ogoh, which is to scare
away demons and evil spirits, but couldn’t find any consensus on their
origin. There were several religious festivals, including Ngusaba
Ndong-Nding in Selat village, that used giant dolls and are believed to
be the influence behind these terrifying monsters. “Ogoh-ogoh have
become a major medium for Balinese youths to express their artistic side
and that’s, I think, is the most important thing about ogoh-ogoh,”
Candra said.
source : bali daily
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