Rambu Solo Ceremony at Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi

Funeral ceremony or well known as Rambu Solo in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi. From the outside we could see a great cultural value in this ceremony. There are cottages founded in mutual cooperation. Animal sacrifice (buffalo and pigs) is prepared to entertain the guests who come once a symbol of respect for the dead. Rambu Solo aim to respect the human spirit and bring the deceased into the spirit world, which is returned to immortality with their ancestors at a resort, called Puya, which is located in the southern part of human habitation. The ceremony is often also called the completion ceremony of death. Man who died just be really dead after all this ceremonial procession fulfilled. If not, then the man who died was only considered as a human being "sick" or "weak", so he still treated like human beings live, which is laid up in bed and were given food and water dishes, even always talk to. Local community considers this very important ceremony, because the perfection of this ceremony will determine the position of the human spirit is dead, whether as a ghost haunting (Bombo), the spirits who reach the level of the gods (to-membali puang), or a patron deity (DEATA). In this context, Rambu Solo ceremony into a "duty", so that in any way the community will mengadakannnya Tana Toraja as a form of devotion to their old man who died. Rambu Solo festive ceremony is determined by the social status of the deceased's family, measured by the number of animals sacrificed. The more buffalo are slaughtered, the higher the social status. Typically, for a noble family, the number of buffalo slaughtered ranged from 24-100 tails, while the middle-class residents ranged buffalos 8 plus 50 pigs. In the past, this ceremony can only be carried out by the noble families. But along with economic development, social strata no longer based on descent or position, but based on the level of education and economic. Currently, many Toraja people of the social strata of ordinary people become wealthy, so as to hold this ceremony. The peak of the ceremony is called the Rambu Solo Rante Ceremony which took place in a particular field. In a ceremony Rante have a series of rituals that always attract the attention of visitors, such as body wrapping process (MA'TUDAN, MEBALUN), affixing the ornament of gold and silver thread on the casket (MA'ROTO), decreased body to the barn to be buried ( MA'POPENGKALO ALANG), and the process remains to pengusungan final resting place (MA'PALAO). In addition, cultural atrakasi shown, including: race buffalo (MAPPASILAGA TEDONG), water buffaloes will be sacrificed competed before slaughter; and fights foot (SISEMBA). During the ceremony was also performed some music, such as pa'pompan, pa'dali-control and unnosong; and a few dances, such as PA'BADONG, PA'DONDI, PA'RANDING, PA'KATIA, PA'PAPANGGAN, PASSAILO and PA ' PASILAGA TEDONG. Buffalo slaughtered in a unique way and is characteristic of Tana Toraja society, which is cutting NECK WITH ONLY ONCE KERBAU blow. Type of slaughtered buffalo buffalo was not unusual, but buffaloes Caucasians (tedong Bonga) whose price ranges between 10-50 million per fish. In addition, there are also amazing phenomenon, when the procession of mourners who was driving the body to Puya, from a distance looked like a long red cloth stretched shawl giants as witnessed in the picture above.