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 The natives of Lombok Island are dominantly Muslim with a few Hindus and Christians. Although collectively they are knows as Saseks. The island of Lombok is renowned for its cultural heritage and festivals which takes place across the entire year. Given below are some of the festivals of Lombok with a brief insight into each.
Ogoh Ogoh Parade
The Ogoh Ogoh Parade is carried out one day before the beginning of Hindu year. The Hindus in Lombok have a Tawur Kesanga ritual which purifies Bhuana Agung and reduce the negative power of Bhuta Kala. This ritual is mainly followed in west Lombok and in the city of Mataram. The ritual of Tawur Kesanga is preceded by Ogoh Ogoh Parade which involves spinning of the statue in all the directions before pointing it in the right direction.
Male’an Sampi
Male’an Sampi is a very famous festival of Lombok. It involves a series of cattle race on a 100 meter long water logged track. Male’an Sampi is also a major crowd-puller in Lombok. The name Male’an Sampi is devised from two words, Male’an which means to chase and Sampi which is the local name for a cow. This event is generally held after the planting season where the farmers and cattle breeders participate actively in this event.
Gendang Beleq Festival
Gendang Beleq Festival is a dance festival of Lombok Island. This festival involves beating of a giant drum to produce rhythm to which the natives perform. The Gendang Beleq Festival dates back to a time where such dances were carried out to bud adieu to the soldiers before wars.
Senggigi Festival
The Senggigi festival is hosted in the home town of Senggigi. This festival is a very colorful one aimed to promote tourism. The festival is organized by the department of tourism and department of arts and culture together. The Senggigi festival showcases the cultural heritage of Lombok and is a frontier to tourists to get themselves acquaint in with the rituals of Lombok. Some of the main events are various music and dance shows of each island individually. The festival also exhibits a large number of local products for the tourists.
Stick Fighting Festival
Stick Fighting Festival is a medium for the natives of Lombok to showcase there bravery and heroism. The festival involves two individuals to indulge in a game called Perisean. The individual’s fighters are called Pepadu and they fight with sticks using cow-skins as a medium to shield themselves. The festival is also a performance to ask god for timely rains and peace.
Lebaran Topat
Lebaran Topat is a Muslim festival. It employs a tradition to celebrate recreation by bringing traditional food “Topat” along with other vegetables. The festival is a 7 day long event which takes place mainly in the West parts of Lombok. During the festival, Muslims also offer daily prays at the Mosque for happiness and prosperity.
Mulang Pekelem
Mulang Pekelem is a festival of Balinese Hindus which aims at showcasing the culture and heritage of them. One of the events of this festival involves Ngaturang Pekelem at lake Segara Anak. Pekelem is a native word for offering something to god in terms of money, gold, cow, prays etc. It also requires prays to upkeep the beauty of their homeland, Lombok Island.
Mentioned above are some of the festivals of Lombok Island. You can always check them and plan your tourist accordingly to catch a glimpse of them.
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