Upacara Mendak Bagia – Desa Adat Padangtegal 2025
Event Details
- Occasion: Upacara Mendak Bagia
- Date: Sukra Umanis Ukir – Friday, 26 September 2025
- Location: Pura Desa lan Puseh, Desa Adat Padangtegal, Ubud, Bali
- Part of: Karya Padudusan Agung, Nubung Padagingan, Ngenteg Linggih, Ngusaba Desa, and Ngusaba Ninigrand ceremonial cycle.
Meaning of “Mendak Bagia”
In Balinese ritual language:
- Mendak means “to welcome or to receive a revered presence.”
- Bagia means “blessing, grace, or auspicious happiness.”
Mendak Bagia therefore signifies welcoming the divine blessings—a ceremony of joyful reception, where the community greets and honors the arrival of sacred energy after preceding rites of purification.
Role in the Grand Ceremony
The Upacara Mendak Bagia comes after the intense phases of Padudusan Agung (major purification) and Nubung Padagingan (sanctification of temple shrines).
It marks a turning point: from cleansing and preparation to receiving the fruits of those offerings.
Through Mendak Bagia, villagers symbolically invite the gods, ancestral spirits, and cosmic forces to bestow well-being, prosperity, and spiritual serenity on the entire community.
Ritual Highlights
Although specific details follow local tradition and the guidance of temple priests (pemangku), key elements generally include:
- Procession & Welcoming Offerings
– Villagers gather with banten (elaborate offerings of flowers, fruits, rice cakes) and carry them in a communal procession to the temple’s main courtyard. - Mantra & Gamelan
– Priests chant sacred mantras while gamelan music accompanies, creating a vibrant, sacred soundscape. - Lighting of Incense and Lamps
– Symbolizing illumination and the descent of divine grace. - Collective Prayers
– All attendees participate, seeking health, harmony, and the continued fertility of land and community.
Community Involvement
The event is organized by the Desa Adat Padangtegal Council with support from the four banjar (Padangtegal Kaja, Mekarsari, Kelod, and Padang Kencana).
Preparations span days of collaborative work:
- Crafting intricate banten bagia offerings
- Decorating Pura Desa and Puseh with palm-leaf ornaments and vibrant flowers
- Coordinating youth groups (Sekaa Teruna Teruni), women’s collectives (PKK), and elders to participate in music, dance, and temple service.
This collective effort strengthens the village’s social fabric and transmits sacred knowledge to younger generations.
Spiritual Significance
Mendak Bagia is a celebration of Tri Hita Karana—the Balinese philosophy of harmony between humans, nature, and the divine.
By joyfully welcoming blessings, the community affirms gratitude for the purified space, fertile land, and renewed spiritual connection established through the larger Karya Padudusan Agung cycle.
Visiting the Ceremony
Respectful visitors are welcome to witness:
- Wear proper Balinese temple attire.
- Refrain from entering inner sanctums unless invited.
- Avoid touching offerings or interrupting rituals.
- Follow guidance from pecalang (temple guards).
A Moment of Joyful Blessing
The Upacara Mendak Bagia on Friday, 26 September 2025 will be a luminous moment when Desa Adat Padangtegal gathers to receive divine grace.
It completes the transformation begun with purification and consecration, ensuring that the blessings of health, prosperity, and spiritual harmony flow through the village for years to come.
