The tooth filing is done by the high priest. Balinese religious tradition is rich and varied. Tooth decay soon occurs in the filed teeth. Most Balinese are nervous about having their teeth filed. an airline magazine Questions 7-13 Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage YES – if the statement agrees with the writer NO – if the statement contradicts the writer NOT GIVEN – if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this. What is the most likely source of this passage? A. When do many Balinese have their teeth filed? A. Questions 1-6 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet. ![]() Surrounding the platform is food for the guests and a huge display of skewered suckling pig, fruit, and whole roasted chickens adorn the entrance to the ceremony room. The dentist’s chair, so to speak, is specially constructed for the ceremony from bamboo in the form of a rack covered with coconut leaves, blankets and a variety of offerings and frangipani flowers. Every day has a different function – the best day for rice planting, the best day for cremations and other festivals, as well as tooth-filing days. The high priest is consulted first to choose an auspicious day from the Balinese calendar. A person must have their teeth filed before marriage and since marriage is early, the ceremony is often undertaken as a prenuptial event. Girls are ready for tooth filing only when they have reached sexual maturity and boys are usually older, about 17 or at least after puberty. It is often necessary to wait until the youngest child is of age. The Potong Gigi ceremony usually is undertaken for members of the same family together since it is a very expensive occasion to host. The situation is exacerbated in those who go on to chew betel nuts since the caustic lime rapidly attacks the teeth. Although this may prevent the person taking on animal instincts and beautify the smile, it is, unfortunately, offset by early tooth decay since the protective enamel is removed from the points of the teeth, exposing them to acid decay. To prevent this, if the points of the canines are filed down, together with any prominent points of the lower teeth in a special Potong Gigi ceremony. These are liable to flare up, along with animal instincts, when the canines are still sharp. The Balinese believe there are six of these evil qualities: desire, greed, anger, intoxication, irresoluteness, and jealousy. Purification of the body and mind is therefore central to Balinese religious life and the tooth-filing ceremony represents one such rite of passage from childhood to becoming an adult.Īccording to the Balinese, long pointed teeth resemble the fangs of animals and these give the personal characteristics of the animal sides of human nature and ferocity. At every stage in a person s life, he or she is susceptible to influences of the supernatural - from demons and layak to good spirits which may bring luck. ![]() These demons can take over and inhabit the body of an animal or human and wreak havoc in the community, so it is very important to strike a balance between offerings made to all spirits that swarm the island. Terrifying demons and monsters walk the earth and although they are seldom seen, they too must be appeased. It is not only the good spirits that are worshipped, for Bali has a dark and evil side too. ![]() As such, both the good and the evil spirits must be appeased, and offerings are thus made at the myriad temples on the island. They exist together in a dual concept of good and evil, clean and dirty, etc. They inhabit temple statues, trees, even fly through the air. There are gods and goddesses in every walk of life which have special forces of their own. These deities range from the holiest in the mountains to the lowest that inhabit the ground and the sea. Balinese religious life is surrounded by a belief in a variety of deities – gods and demons that inhabit different levels of the cosmic and real worlds.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |