Lembongan Village Present Sacred Ritual of Sanghyang Grodog

Sang Hyang Grodog dance ever passed dark period for 29 years. Some may think that the sacred culture already extinct. Then in 2012, this unique ritual revived after its apparent death for years.It’s much different to common sanghyang dance in Bali Island where the dancers loose their consciousness. There are more than 22 dancers and using special vehicle called ‘gegulak’. The Gegulak made of wood adorned with stalks, then moved around. On the live performance, dance accompanied by certain melody of sanghyang.

The name ‘Grodog’ derive form sound produced when the wooden wheel is moved and touches the land in which wheel is moved faster, the louder the sound made. The locally believe the dance has function to clean the village from negative aura in sekala or niskala side which often known ‘nyomia desa. In addition, Sanghyang Grodog dance can avoid the villagers from any disaster attack or diseases.

On this year, Lembongan village present this sacred ritual start from Tuesday, 9 until Saturday, 20 August 2016. The ceremony perform centered at catus pata or four junction of the village center. The committee confirmed on Friday, 5 August Wayan Suwarbawa told the preparation almost done include to set a permit ceremony and clean the area around. The sacred dance will be done for eleven days.

“We had practiced to fix the dance choir by the end July. The opening ceremony for as request a permit to village temple been completed,” he said.

The sequences of the dance owns uniqueness as combined with several dances. These dances represent the daily life adapted from the nature surroundings. Need quite long time, wasting time and energy to prepare the dance. It is not short dance as usual, the dance procession is long chain around  eleven night on special occasion once a year based on local calender, actually ‘sasih karo’.  On the day of preforming, all equipments need will be decorated with flower  and of course the offering. Sanghyang Grodog dance sequences closed with perform Sanghyang Bunga, symbolize new bright day come.

Reporter: I Gede Sumadi