All life cycles ceremonies in Bali have a deep religious meaning that is to ensure someone’s spiritual and material well being.
The first ritual is held at six month’s conception to pray for the well being of the baby.The next ceremony takes place after the baby’s birth, to bury his or her placenta (it is put inside of a yellow coconut) in front of sleeping house of the family. The following ceremonies afterwards are Kepus Pungsed (umbilical cord cut), Tutug Kambuhan (at the age of 42 days). Nelu bulanan or nyambution (at the age of 105days) when the baby’s name is announced (Basically there are only four first names: Wayan or Putu or Gde (the first born), Made or Kadek or Nengah (the second born), Nyoman or Komang (the third born) and Ketut (the fourth born). If there are more than four children, the same name order will apply to them: Wayan for the fifth, Made for the sixth, and so on). The next important ritual is held when the baby is 210 days old, when the first birthday is celebrated in the Otonan ceremony.
In this ceremony, the baby’s hair is cut for the first time and she or he permitted to touch the ground for the first time.
In most Balinese families the first otonan (birthday) and the third one are such important occasion and they used to commission a shadow puppet play, the holy water (tirtha) is made by the dalang (puppeteer) to be used to purify the baby’s body and soul.
When the teeth begin to appear, the ngempugin ceremony is held and the maketus ceremony marks the time when the last milk tooth falls out. This is the time when Kumara (baby’s protector angel) finish his duty.When a boy or a girl reach the age of puberty, marked by the first time menstruation for a girl or a deepening voice of a boy, it is the time for menggah daha / taruna ceremony; which is frequently held together with mapandes or masangih (tooth filling ceremony), in order to spend less money. Its purpose is to delete symbolically the six someone’s bad characters such as: Aanger, Desire, Greed, Intoxication, Irresoluteness, and Jealousy by filling a small portion of the upper teeth to form a straight line.
