Denpasar students fall into mass trance

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Dozens of students of an elementary school on the resort island of Bali fell into a trance this week, before they were "exorcised" by local Hindu priests.

Teachers and priests said on Thursday that the school's failure to conduct certain rituals, and make offerings to appease troubled spirits, was to blame for the incident.

School principal Made Jara Atmaja said some 20 students had first fallen into a trance on Monday.

"Curiously, Monday was a Purnama (full-moon) day, which is considered a sacred day by the Balinese Hindus. They (the teachers and priests) then held communal prayers and presented offerings at various temples," he said.

On Tuesday, only four students were left in a trance. But, on Wednesday 50 other pupils at the same school in Pedungan area, Denpasar, were reportedly in a similar state.

The victims suddenly cried out and danced, displaying a higher level of skill than usual. Some of them fell shouting to the ground.

"On Thursday, a few students were still affected," Atmaja said.

Strangely, their movements bore a striking resemblance to the choreography of Calonarang, a traditional dance/drama with a supernatural theme.

Teachers and others carried the immobilized students to the school hall.

Assisted by local community members, the teachers hurriedly placed offerings at the school's shrine and prayed before sprinkling holy water on the students.

Afterward, most of the students were quick to regain consciousness.

Atmaja said he believed the mass trance was related to a series of rituals held at the school on Nov. 13 to mark the completion of the shrine's renovation. The Calonarang dance was performed after the rituals.

"Unfortunately, we forgot to conduct a purification ritual prior to the main ritual. This negligence may have caused the mass trance," he said.

He promised to conduct a purification ritual soon.

Trances, known locally as kerauhan (which literally means to "be visited"), are not uncommon among residents of the pre- dominantly Hindu island.