Bali Travel News

Every fifteen days, on Kajeng Kliwon, the dark forces of Bali gather to frolic and inflict illness on unsuspecting souls. These witches or leyak are humans who, through the study of black magic, are able to transform themselves into grotesque animals, demons, even flying cars. They haunt crossroads, graveyards or bridges, and this particular day, due to its inauspiciousness for dharma, or the correct path, is auspicious for Rangda, queen of the leyaks. A performance of the Calonarang dance is then often held.

As with many Balinese dance dramas, the story is based on historical sources. In the early 11th century, a powerful Balinese king, Udayana, married an east Javanese princess, Mahendratta. When he found out she had been practicing black magic, he banished her to the forest. No one dared to marry her daughter, even though she was stunningly beautiful  so afraid were they of her mother’s magic. To this day the queen, her teeth grown into fangs, her tongue a long flame and her hair full of fire, takes revenge by spreading pestilence throughout the land.

There are many variations on the Calonarang dance, but all involve the Barong — a mythological beast with an immense coat of fur and gilded leather vestments. The most common and sacred is the Barong Ket, a cross between a lion and a bear, although the Barong Macan (tiger), Barong Bangkal (wild boar), Barong Celeng (pig) and Barong Gajah (elephant) also exist.

The Barong is considered a protector of the village. Of demonic origin, the people have made a beast in his image and transformed him into a playful, benevolent creature. Upon entering, he prances about the stage, shaking his great girth and clacking his jaws. He is often followed by the telek and jauk, two masked groups of men depicting deities and demons, respectively. They fight, but no one wins (a common theme in Balinese performances).Their role is simply to help restore and maintain balance.

The story then begins with the condong (lady-in-waiting) bemoaning the fact that no one will marry her mistress, Ratnamanggali, who then enters and dances. The lights are dimmed and the followers of Rangda enter, holding white cloths whose touch can cause illness. Matah Gede, the witch in human form, then instructs them in deeds of destruction and walks up to her temporary shack on the stage. Two male papaya trees have also been stuck into the ground here, said to represent the kepoh tree of the graveyard, a favorite haunt of leaks.

The scene then switches to the village, Where many people have died. A group of villagers brings a baby to the cemetery to be buried and the slumber of men in the graveyard is comically disturbed by a celuluk — a balding demoness with bulging eyes. This scene is always played to the hilt, with suggestive gestures from her and lewd remarks The king and his minister, Mpu Bharadah, then appear and the king asks for advice on how to stop the horrible pestilence plaguing his kingdom.

The advisor suggests that his son, Bahula, marry Ratnamanggali to discover how her mother gains her power. This he does, and it turns out that Rangda has stolen a book of holy mantras and recites them backwards. Bahula steals the book and takes it to his father. Mpu Bharadah then confronts Rangda, and a battle of magical wits takes place. Rangda burns the papaya tree and challenges the priest to do the same. He revives the tree and burns Rangda, but brings her back to life, determined that she will see the evil in her ways. On stage, Rangda can never be killed, only pushed back to the cemetery where she belongs.

The most famous part of this dance drama is the confrontation between Rangda and Barong, involving followers of Barong who attack Rangda with krisses or daggers that are then turned back on themselves. This can also be performed as a separate drama, called simply a Barong dance.