Denpasar students fall into mass trance<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali<\/p>\n
Dozens of students of an elementary school on the resort island
\nof Bali fell into a trance this week, before they were
\n\"exorcised\" by local Hindu priests.<\/p>\n
Teachers and priests said on Thursday that the school's
\nfailure to conduct certain rituals, and make offerings to appease
\ntroubled spirits, was to blame for the incident.<\/p>\n
School principal Made Jara Atmaja said some 20 students had
\nfirst fallen into a trance on Monday.<\/p>\n
\"Curiously, Monday was a Purnama (full-moon) day, which is
\nconsidered a sacred day by the Balinese Hindus. They (the
\nteachers and priests) then held communal prayers and presented
\nofferings at various temples,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, only four students were left in a trance. But, on
\nWednesday 50 other pupils at the same school in Pedungan area,
\nDenpasar, were reportedly in a similar state.<\/p>\n
The victims suddenly cried out and danced, displaying a higher
\nlevel of skill than usual. Some of them fell shouting to the
\nground.<\/p>\n
\"On Thursday, a few students were still affected,\" Atmaja
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Strangely, their movements bore a striking resemblance to the
\nchoreography of Calonarang, a traditional dance\/drama with a
\nsupernatural theme.<\/p>\n
Teachers and others carried the immobilized students to the
\nschool hall.<\/p>\n
Assisted by local community members, the teachers hurriedly
\nplaced offerings at the school's shrine and prayed before
\nsprinkling holy water on the students.<\/p>\n
Afterward, most of the students were quick to regain
\nconsciousness.<\/p>\n
Atmaja said he believed the mass trance was related to a
\nseries of rituals held at the school on Nov. 13 to mark the
\ncompletion of the shrine's renovation. The Calonarang dance was
\nperformed after the rituals.<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately, we forgot to conduct a purification ritual
\nprior to the main ritual. This negligence may have caused the
\nmass trance,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He promised to conduct a purification ritual soon.<\/p>\n
Trances, known locally as kerauhan (which literally means to
\n\"be visited\"), are not uncommon among residents of the pre-
\ndominantly Hindu island.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/denpasar-students-fall-into-mass-trance-1447893297",
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