Symbolizing Desire: Barong and Rangda Performance in a Balinese Hindu Newborn Ritual
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24843/JKB.2026.v16.i02.p12Keywords:
barong, rangda, male and female desires, nyambutin ritualAbstract
Although Barong–Rangda is widely recognized today as a touristic performance linked to Bali’s cultural tourism, its sacred ritual functions continue in Bali, showing that commodification has not erased its religious significance. This article examines the nyambutin ritual, a Balinese Hindu ceremony welcoming newborn babies, focusing on the inclusion of Barong–Rangda performance in a traditional Balinese village. Using ethnographic observation, in-depth interviews, and textual analysis, the study applies semiotic perspectives from Barthes, Eco, and Peirce to interpret the ritual’s symbolic meanings. The findings show that Barong and Rangda represent disciplined and uncontrolled forms of desire, reflecting moral tensions within Balinese cosmology. The performance functions as embodied moral education, introducing ethical values through ritual experience rather than verbal instruction. Sustained by local ritual authority, the tradition continues as religious knowledge transmission while resisting full commodification despite the global circulation of Barong imagery through tourism.
Downloads
References
Bandem, I. M. (1976). Barong dance. The World of Music, 18(3), 45–52.
Barker, C. (2012). Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies. Hill and Wang.
Barthes, R. (1977). Image, Music, Text. Hill and Wang.
Bell, C. (1997). Ritual: Perspectives and dimensions. New York: Oxford University Press.
Boon, J.A. (1990). Affinities and extremes: Crisscrossing the bittersweet ethnology of East Indies history, Hindu-Balinese culture, and Indo-European allure. University of Chicago Press.
Brahmandika, I. N. (2024). Ratu Ayu (Rangda) dan Ratu Gede Barong: Proses Pembuatan, Ngrehang, Napak Pertiwi dalam Sakralisasi Desa Adat Angantelu Kajian Sastra Hindu Bali. Denpasar: Universitas Hindu Indonesia.
Brahmandika, P. G., & Putra Gotama, P. B. A. (2024). Ratu Ayu (Rangda) dan Ratu Gede Barong: Proses pembuatan, ngrehang, napak pertiwi dalam sakralisasi Desa Adat Angantelu kajian sastra Hindu Bali. Lampuhyang, 15(2), 16–37. https://doi.org/10.47730/jurnallampuhyang.v15i2.381
Bühler, G. (2004). The Laws of Manu. Cosmo Publications.
Chandler, D. (2017). Semiotics: The Basics (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Cohen, E. (1988). Authenticity and commoditization in tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 15(3), 371–386.
Covarrubias, M. (2015). Island of Bali. Tuttle Publishing.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Data Penduduk Desa Penarukan, Kecamatan Kerambitan, Kabupaten Tabanan, 2024.
Doniger, W. (2002). Kamasutra (transl. & commentary). Oxford University Press.
Doniger, W., & Smith, B. K. (1991). The Laws of Manu. Penguin Classics.
Eco, U. (1976). A Theory of Semiotics. Indiana University Press.
Eiseman, F. B. (1990). Bali: Sakala and niskala. Periplus Editions.
Eliade, M. (1959). The sacred and the profane. Harcourt, Brace & World.
Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the Pleasure Principle. Internationaler Psychoanalytischer Verlag.
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
Hobart, M. (2014). The dancing world of Bali. Tuttle Publishing.
Jung, C. G. (1953). Collected Works of C. G. Jung (Vol. 7). Princeton University Press.
Kane, P. V. (1962). History of Dharmaśāstra (Vol. 2, Part 1). Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.
Kantor Desa Penarukan. (2024). Profil Desa Adat Penarukan. Pemerintah Desa Penarukan.
Keesing, R. M. (1987). Anthropology as an interpretive quest. Current Anthropology, 28(2), 161–176.
Koentjaraningrat. (2009). Pengantar Ilmu Antropologi. Rineka Cipta.
Lansing, J. S. (2006). Perfect order: Recognizing complexity in Bali. Princeton University Press.
Mantra, I. B. (1996). Landasan Kebudayaan Bali. Yayasan Dharma Sastra.
Maswinara, I. W. (2004). Ṛgveda: Samhita Mandala X. Paramita.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Olivelle, P. (Trans.). (2005). Manu's Code of Law: A critical edition and translation of the Mānava-Dharmaśāstra. Oxford University Press.
Peirce, C. S. (1958). Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce (Vols. 1–8). Harvard University Press.
Picard, M. (1996). Bali: Cultural tourism and touristic culture. Archipelago Press.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, A. C. (1983). Bhagavad-gītā as it is. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Primayanti, N. P. A. (2021). Bentuk, unsur, dan fungsi bahasa ritual Nyambutin di Kabupaten Gianyar. Jurnal Harian Regional. Retrieved March 27, 2026, from https://jurnal.harianregional.com/sastra/full-6928
Pudja, G. (2010). Bhagavadgītā (terjemahan dan ulasan). Paramita.
Pudja, G., & Sudharta, T. R. (2003). Sarasamuccaya. Paramita.
Pudja. G. 2010, Bhagawad Gita (Pancama Weda). Mayasari.
Radhakrishnan, S. (1994). The principal Upanishads. HarperCollins.
Sala, G. (2022). Il Barong turistico: innovazione e tradizione. AsiaTeatro. https://doi.org/10.55154/UBUP6899
Śaṅkarācārya. (2006). Vivekachudamani (S. Madhavananda, Trans.). Advaita Ashrama.
Segara, I. N. (2000). Rangda dalam Perspektif Budaya Bali. Denpasar: Yayasan Dharma Sastra.
Suparman, I. G. A. (2014). Transformasi Nilai Religiusitas dan Estetika dalam Pementasan Barong dan Rangda di Desa Moti. Institut Seni Indonesia Denpasar.
Suta, I. N. (2009). Pementasan Barong dan Rangda dalam Perspektif Estetika dan Pendidikan Agama. Institut Hindu Dharma Negeri Denpasar.
Titib, I. M. (2003). Teologi dan simbol-simbol dalam agama Hindu. Paramita.
Turner, V. (1969). The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Aldine.
UNESCO. (2015). Three genres of traditional dance in Bali. Retrieved from https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/three-genres-of-traditional-dance-in-bali-00617
Wirawan, I. G. N. (2019). Liturgi Sakralisasi Barong–Rangda: Eksplorasi Teo-Filosofis Estetik Mistik Bali. Denpasar: Universitas Hindu Indonesia.
Wirawan, K. (2019). Liturgi sakralisasi Barong-Rangda: Eksplorasi teo-filosofis estetik mistik Bali. Mudra: Jurnal Seni Budaya, 34(3), 417–427. https://doi.org/10.31091/mudra.v34i3.800
Yuliadi, K. (2022). Adaptation and representation of narcissistic desires of Calon Arang’s text in Bali. Journal of Urban Society’s Arts, 9(2), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.24821/jousa.v9i2.6486
