Hello, I’m Dea, a Public Relations at Bukit Vista. I’m excited to share with you a significant milestone in our ongoing effort to enhance our partnerships. On Friday, December 20, 2024, we celebrated a significant occasion with two of our esteemed partners, Mena Villa and Name Villa, owned respectively by Pak Erik and Pak Ngurah. These properties recently hosted a ‘Melaspas‘ event, a traditional Balinese ceremony aimed at cleansing and purifying newly completed or renovated buildings. Melaspas meaning, deeply rooted in Balinese culture, not only prepares the properties for a new beginning but also symbolizes our commitment to respecting and integrating local traditions in our operations.
I had the pleasure of attending this event alongside Bayu, our Chief Technology Officer, and Wayana, Co-Founder of Bukit Vista. Together, we joined Pak Erik, Pak Ngurah, and their families in celebrating this new chapter. Here’s a detailed look at what transpired during this culturally rich ceremony.
Experiencing the Melaspas Ritual with Bukit Vista
When you attend a Melaspas event at Bukit Vista, you’re stepping into a rich tapestry of cultural tradition intertwined with modern business practices. Here’s what you need to know:
Traditional Dressing: Participation in the Melaspas ceremony, a cleansing and purifying ritual mandatory for all new ventures, offers a unique cultural experience. Guests are expected to wear traditional Balinese attire. Women don a light-colored kebaya (top), a kamen (skirt), and a selendang (a colorful textile belt). Men wear a similar outfit, consisting of a kamen (akin to a sarong), a white baju (shirt), a selendang, and complete their attire with an udeng, a headband wrapped around the head.
The Flower Board: Upon arrival, guests are greeted with a meticulously designed flower board. This elegant welcome not only charms guests but also reflects Bukit Vista’s commitment to honoring the aesthetic values of its partners and their properties.
Each board is crafted with a sophisticated palette of artificial flowers, featuring serene blues, gentle pinks, and pristine whites, all set against a crisp, white backdrop. This selection of flowers is not just visually pleasing but strategically chosen to evoke a sense of calm and welcome.
Cultural Exchange – Aban Aban: Translating to “gifts” in Balinese, aban aban is presented at ceremonies as a token of participation and goodwill. Bukit Vista contributes packages containing 1kg of rice, 1kg of sugar, and incense sticks, symbolizing support for the host’s event. In return, when Bukit Vista’s team departs, we are handed fruits, a reciprocal gesture embodying Balinese culture’s communal spirit.
The Melaspas Meaning in Name and Mena Villa
At Mena and Name Villa, the Melaspas event is more than just a ritual; it’s an introduction to a new space—be it a home or a business—and a way to cleanse and sanctify it in the Balinese tradition. Traditionally, the Melaspas ceremony is designed to purify a building in a spiritual sense before it’s occupied, ensuring peace and protection from unwanted influences for its inhabitants.
But in Name and Mena Villa. it’s also a moment of community and relationship building, offering a deep dive into the home beyond just the living room, which is typically where guests might stop. For those not deeply familiar with Balinese culture, such as distant relatives, the ceremony presents a unique opportunity to connect on a more intimate level with the household and its members, making it about more than just a physical space, we found it’s about creating a welcoming, harmonious environment for all who enter.
At the recent Melaspas event hosted by Mena and Name Villa, the atmosphere transcended typical business formalities. Welcomed warmly by Pak Ngurah and Pak Erik, attendees had the opportunity to meet and mingle with their families and even their contractor, fostering a sense of community rather than mere corporate ties. It was a networking hub where stories were exchanged, and personal connections flourished. Such events underscore the unique blend of culture and commerce in Bali, where even a traditional ceremony can evolve into a vital networking opportunity, enriching both business and personal bonds within the community.
Sacred Foundations: The Melaspas Ceremony
At Mena and Name Villa, the Melaspas ceremony is a meticulously planned event that beautifully illustrates the spiritual and cultural depth of Balinese traditions. The process begins with ‘Orti,’ where prayers are offered to Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, asking for blessings for the building. This is followed by the placement of ‘ulap ulap,’ specific script-laden paper, depending on the building’s purpose, to protect and sanctify the space. For sacred sites, ‘Pedagingan‘—symbolic offerings—are buried at the foundation’s base and peaks, with gold ‘Padma‘ installed at the very top to symbolize divine presence.
The ceremony continues with ‘Pangurip-urip,’ where holy marks are made on the building to symbolize the life-giving forces of creation, preservation, and transformation, embodying the Tri Murti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Iswara. This is complemented by ‘Ngayaban,’ which involves offering prayers and sesajen at the ‘Sanggah Surya,‘ a towering bamboo altar, to summon blessings from the cosmos.
The ritual culminates in ‘Ngeteg-Linggih,’ a sacred sequence that brings the divine into the newly purified space, ensuring the building is not only physically ready but spiritually empowered to ward off negative influences and ensure safety and prosperity for all who enter. Through such practices, Bukit Vista not only respects but deeply integrates local traditions into its business operations, fostering a genuine connection with the community and the cultural heritage of Bali.
‘Annasewa‘ at the Melaspas Ceremony
The Melaspas ceremony at Mena and Name Villa concluded in a spirit of communal joy and sharing, encapsulating the essence of ‘Annasewa‘—a vital component of the Yajna, which involves hosting a feast for guests according to one’s means. As we gathered to share a meal, the atmosphere was charged with a sense of fulfillment and camaraderie. This act of eating together not only represented a fulfilling of religious duties but also strengthened bonds among all attendees, allowing for a joyful exchange of conversations and shared experiences.
This communal dining is rooted in the principles of Satvika Yajna, which emphasizes sincerity, adherence to spiritual texts, and humility in ceremonies, ensuring that every aspect of the event is conducted with pure intentions, without ostentation, and in line with ancient traditions. Such moments highlight the deep cultural significance of integrating traditional rites with personal hospitality, creating an enriching experience that resonates with both the spiritual and communal ethos of Balinese life.
Conclusion
For Bukit Vista, Melaspas is more than just a ceremonial formality; it is an essential practice that enriches their partnerships and strengthens community ties. It reflects the company’s commitment to cultural integration and its respect for the spiritual well-being of the spaces it manages. The event serves not only to purify and inaugurate new ventures but also to celebrate and reinforce the communal and spiritual connections that are pivotal to both personal and business relationships in Bali. Through such ceremonies, Bukit Vista affirms its dedication to maintaining and enhancing the cultural heritage of Bali, ensuring that each business endeavor is also a contribution to the cultural and communal fabric of the local community.