2025 is just around the corner, and we’re all thinking about it…what are our intentions for the year ahead? Start the gym? Launch that side hustle? Fall in love? Buy a house? Book that month-long stay in Bali you’ve always dreamed about?!
For travelers in Bali, during the festive seasons, there is one incredibly special way to prepare for the coming year, and that is to take part in a Balinese water cleansing ceremony, known as a melukat ceremony, at the world-famous Tirta Empul Temple.
Whether 2024 has been a year of triumph or sorrow, there is always a benefit to taking a few hours to take an inventory of your life and make a conscious decision to let go of the old and welcome in the new. A Balinese water purification ceremony is a powerful way to cleanse the mind and the body and welcome a new year of blessings and growth.
This is just one of the wonderfully generous things about the Balinese people and the Balinese culture; this deeply reverent ceremony is permitted to be practiced by those of different or no religious affiliation.
Whether you’re Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, agnostic, or atheist, all are invited to cleanse and purify in a melukat ceremony in Bali.
The culture surrounding water purification ceremonies is fascinating. The word ‘melukat’ is derived from the Balinese word ‘lukat,’ which means purifying or cleaning.
For Balinese Hindus, the melukat ceremony is an important cultural ritual that is conducted by individuals before major life events such as marriage or giving birth, as well as after a period of emotional turmoil or illness, and before and during major festivals as a personal commitment to spiritual renewal and growth.
The most famous water temple in Bali is Tirta Empul, which can be found in Tampaksiring, just outside of Ubud.
The temple was built during the Warmadewa Dynasty and was constructed in 962 AD. Local legend states that the holy water spring that feels like the temple’s pool was created by the Hindu God Indra, who stuck his staff against the earth to summon water that would heal and restore the strength of his army during a long battle with King Mayadenawa.
As the waters have been summoned by God Indra, it is believed the waters have special powers and deep healing properties.
The temple is included in the UNESCO Cultural Landscape of Bali, alongside other important cultural practices and assets such as the Subak system and the herbal medical drink Jamu.
Tourists who wish to take part in a melukat ceremony at Tirta Empul Temple can take part in a guided tour for the most in-depth experience. Tourists must observe the temple etiquette and wear a sarong and sash. As with any cultural ceremony, there are specific steps that must be observed in the melukat ceremony.
First, offerings must be made at the temple in the form of a canang said; this is accompanied by prayers. Attendees can make their own canang sari or purchase the offerings from the temple or local women who sell their offerings outside the temple.
The canang sari are offered at the altar which stands in front of the holy spring, the prayers are observed in a seat position and the attendee must take this time to set their intentions for the ceremony and pray for their cleansing.
Attendees then move into the holy water pool and stand beneath each of the water spouts and allow the water to flow over their head and body.
Depending on the attendee’s intentions and needs, as discussed with their guide, the temple’s priest, or their Balian healer, they may also offer specific prayers at each water spout or turn around under the flow of the water.
After the water cleansing is completed, attendees leave the pool and return to the temple preset, where they once again take a seat and receive blessings from the priest.
The priest will sprinkle holy water on their heads, offer smoke, and apply rice to their forehead and throat to represent fertility, prosperity, and, most importantly, grounding.
Closing prayers will be offered, and a twisted string of white, black, and red thread will be tied around the wrist.
While for some people simply taking part in a meluakt ceremony at Tirta Empul Temple in Bali can be an interesting cultural activity, for others the ceremony has proven unexpectedly life changing; are you ready for 2025?
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