Indonesia is known as an archipelago that has many tribes and cultures with their uniqueness, including customs in Toraja. Toraja funeral ceremony is one of the unique cultures in Indonesia.
The traditional Toraja funeral ceremony is referred to as Rambu Solo as a form of final respect for the deceased to the spirit realm. The people of Toraja, South Sulawesi, still carry out this funeral ceremony until now.
Knowing the Toraja Traditional Funeral Ceremony.
This funeral ceremony is only carried out every few months or several years because the costs are quite a lot. The money will be used to sacrifice many pigs or buffalo, not to mention the long procession.
There are two forms of giving buffalo or pigs to the bereaved family, namely Tangkean Suru or the return of gifts from the family in the past and Pa’uaimata or as a form of condolences.
Rambu Solo Funeral Ceremony Procession
This funeral ceremony has two main events: the funeral process and the performing arts. The two processions are carried out in one event and usually take about three to seven days to implement. July and August are when the Rambu Solo event reaches its peak, so that you will find many funerals during those months.
Status of the Dead
The implementation of Rambu Solo is based on the status of the deceased, from ceremonies for the lowest strata to ceremonies for high nobility. The higher the socioeconomic strata, the larger the funeral ceremony. The status of the person who passed away in this funeral ceremony, including Dasili Ceremony, Dipasangbongi Ceremony, Dibatang Ceremony or Digoya Tedong and Rampasan Ceremony
Funeral Process in the Field.
The funeral process carried out by the Toraja custom consists of several ceremonies. Each procession has its own meaning. The information is as follow:
- Ma’tudan Mebalun: The body enters the Dibalun process or wrapped with a shroud carried out by To Ma’kaya or Mebalun (officers).
- Ma’Rato: The process of decorating or affixing a coffin using silver and gold thread.
- Ma’Papengkalo Alang: The body will be lowered or placed in the granary that has been made previously.
- Ma’Palao or Ma’Pasonglo: The last process is to deliver the corpse from the house to the burial area. This process is known as Lakkian, where the higher the corpse, the faster the spirit will reach nirvana.
After getting to know one of the cultures that exist in Toraja, you must also get to know other cultures, such as the dress ulos Batak or traditional clothing in Toraja. Moreover, these two cultures have something in common that you can learn to get to know more about Indonesia.
