Festive atmosphere at Erau Festival

The word Erau derives from Eroh which means noisy, bustling or festive. In that sense, the Erau Festival refers to a lively event filled with sacred and virtuous rituals.

Held in the old city of Tenggarong in Kutai regency, East Kalimantan, the festival is a tradition that dates back to the heyday of the sultanate of Kutai Kertanegara.

This year, the festival began on Sept. 20 and runs until Sept. 30. It is being held in conjunction with the third running of Indonesia's Keraton Nusantara old kingdoms festival.

One of the rituals presented in the festival is called Bunut ceremony, which comes from the Dayak Kenyah people. The ceremony is a recreation of an exorcism ritual for children in their transition to becoming adults.

The ceremony started with many people praying and continued with the butchering wild boars. After the slaughtering ceremony, the child is sprayed with water all over his/her body by the tribal chief as a symbolic blessing.

The whole ceremony ends with a feast, and all enjoy the boar meat.

Text and photos by R. Berto Wedhatama