Local Wisdom of Balinese People Managing Water in Tirta (Holy Water) Concept

Water is a source of life on the surface of the earth because it becomes a necessity for every organism. The need for water continues to increase, but the availability of clean water continues to decrease. Efforts to preserve important water sources are made to meet current and future water needs. Hindus in Bali have long practiced water resources conservation and managing water quality through various forms of local wisdom. Local wisdom is passed down through generations of routine activities in daily life. Water as a gift because it gives life is placed as a holy one which is then referred to as holy water or tirta. The use of tirta in various ceremonial activities causes Hinduism in Bali to be often identified with tirta religion. For Balinese people, water is a symbol of Vishnu which is a manifestation of God as the preserver of world life. Positioning water as a sacred thing has the meaning of obligation to maintain the quality and quantity of water to be maintained. Positioning the water source as a sacred area is also a form of effort to protect the springs to avoid pollution. The ceremony of mendak tirta and mendak toya became a form of local wisdom on the procedures of water use and efficient use of water. The concept of nyegara-Gunung (sea-mountain) is one of the proofs that Balinese Hindus commit to maintaining the hydrological cycle, so that life is maintained.

Balinese Indigenous Knowledge about Water : A Way to Achieve Water Sustainability

For the Balinese, water is essential for their ritual-based culture. Water is an entity to complete Balinese everyday life, especially the spiritual aspects that need holy water for rituals. This study aims to analyze the influence of Balinese indigenous knowledge about groundwater management, membership of the indigenous organizations, perception of the catchment areas, and water resources alternatives to groundwater resource conservation amongst Balinese. To address this, a survey of a representative sample of 139 Balinese adults in SARBAGITA (Denpasar Regency, Badung Regency, Gianyar Regency, and Tabanan Regency) has been conducted. With logistic regression model, this study found that knowledge and method used in respondents' households when water is limited are the most significant factor that affects respondents' willingness to participate in sacred springs conservation program.

SYMBOLIC MEANING OF KESANDINGAN RITUAL IN PROBOLINGGO

Kesandingan, one of the rituals in Probolinggo, East Java, is a cultural phenomenon that mingles with religious elements of society. It is something sacred and mystical that parents do when a toddler (an infant under three years old) experiences heat illness for days, tends to be fussy, cries a lot, and cannot sleep at night. This research aims to explain the process of symbolic communication of kesandingan ritual and to understand the symbolic meaning behind the ritual. It is a descriptive-qualitative study through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The data analysis uses a qualitative-naturalistic technique. The result demonstrates that the symbolic communication process of kesandingan ritual in Mentor, Sumberasih, Probolinggo, comprises seven series: burning incense, wiping incense smoke on the child's face, giving the child holy water to drink, wiping the child with floral water, preparing food, making a wish on the child's bed, and distributing food. Meanwhile, the symbolic meaning of kesandingan ritual refers to divine, social and personal dimensions. Ritual kesandingan merupakan salah satu ritual masyarakat Probolinggo Jawa Timur yang sudah menjadi fenomena budaya yang berbaur dengan unsur religi masyarakat. Ritual kesandingan merupakan sesuatu yang sakral dan mistis yang dilakukan orang tua saat anak batita (bawah tiga tahun) mengalami sakit panas berhari-hari, rewel, kerap menangis dan tidak bisa tidur terutama malam hari. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menjelaskan proses komunikasi simbolik ritual kesandingan dan memahami makna simbolik dibalik ritual tersebuat. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif-kualitatif, pengumpulan datanya melalui observasi, wawancara mendalam, dan dokumentasi. Sedangkan analisis datanya menggunakan teknik analisa data kualitatif-naturalistik. Sebagai hasilnya, diketahui bahwa proses komunikasi simbolik ritual kesandingan di desa Mentor Kecamatan Sumberasih Kabupaten Probolinggo meliputi tujuh rangkaian yaitu: membakar kemenyan, mengusap asap kemenyan ke wajah anak, memberi minuman kepada anak dengan air doa, mengusap wajah anak dengan air bunga, menyiapkan makanan, memanjatkan doa ditempat tidur anak, dan membagikan makanan. Sedangkan makna simbolik ritual kesandingan mencakup tiga dimensi, yaitu: dimensi ketuhanan, sosial, dan personal.

“Medical treatments are also part of God’s gift”: Holy water attendants’ perspectives on a collaboration between spiritual and psychiatric treatment for mental illness in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, traditional and spiritual treatments, such as holy water, are used by people with mental disorders instead of, or alongside, psychiatric services. Collaborations between traditional and psychiatric providers may increase access to evidence-based treatments and address human rights abuses. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of holy water attendants on a novel collaboration between holy water and psychiatric care, at St Mary’s Clinic, Entoto, Ethiopia, and to characterize the users of this service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 holy water attendants, who run group houses for holy water residents and are paid by family members. A thematic analysis was conducted. Socio-demographic and clinical data were extracted from the records of all service users who had attended the clinic. A total of 174 individuals have attended the clinic in the three years since it opened. The majority were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Holy water attendants provide a partial gatekeeping role to psychiatric care, selecting which of their clients they think will benefit and, for these individuals, facilitating attendance to the clinic and antipsychotic medication adherence. Psychiatric care was felt to be compatible with holy water by some, but not all, attendants. However, family members often had the “final say” in individuals attending the clinic, in some cases putting up strong resistance to using psychiatric care. A novel collaboration is acceptable to some holy water attendants and may increase access to psychiatric care amongst people with mental illness living at a holy water site in Ethiopia.

Holy Water: Miracle Accounts and Proxy Data Tell a Climate Story

In 6th century Italy, saints were said to perform an unusual number of water miracles. Paleoclimatological data from a stalagmite may reveal why.

PROSES PELAKSANAAN RITUAL KAKADIU BUKUNO KAMOKULANO LIWU PADA MASYARAKAT BOMBONAWULU DI KELURAHAN BOMBONAWULU KECAMATAN GU KABUPATEN BUTON TENGAH

The purpose of this study is to study and describe the kakađiu βukuno kamokulano liwu ritual process in Bombonawulu community, Gu District, Buton Tengah Regency. The study uses qualitative methods by presenting them in the formof descriptions. The location of this research is in Bombonawulu Village, Gu District,Central Buton Regency. Data collection with interviews, observations and documentation. This study, the authors used qualitative data analysis techniques. The results of this study indicate that the process of carrying out the kakađiu βukunokamokulano liwu ritual consists of five stages, namely: (1) the preparatory stage includes the preparation of the complete kakađiu βukuno kamokulano liwu ritual as well as checking the completeness of the ritual at the Daduwali Palace; (2) the steps to the βukuno kamokulano liwu burial place, including: the procession of ritual executives, starting with the black flag bearer, the ritual executor and the group of men, then the group of women and white flag bearers, (3) stages in the dwelling place, including: doing worship, cleaning themselves, climbing the cliff, worshiping again and continuing to open the cover that wraps the βukuno kamokulano liwu frame and (4) the bathing stage, includes: scraping the frame with coconut milk, then smearing it with coconut oil and water the bones with holy water ngkolaki, (5) haroa stage, including: reading congratulations and eating together.Keywords: Implementation, Ritual, Kakadiu, Bukuno, Kamokulano,Liwu

Case Report: A rare cause of vaginal bleeding at Keren Zonal Referral Hospital, Eritrea

Vaginal bleeding due to leech infestation is a very uncommon but important gynaecological problem. This report presents the case of a 65-year-old woman who presented to Keren Regional Referral Hospital, Eritrea, with vaginal bleeding of two and half weeks duration, dizziness and fatigue. On the day of her admission complete blood count and speculum exam were done and she was diagnosed with anaemia due to cervical leech infestation. Routine speculum exam for vaginal bleeding is recommended in cases with history of holy water or springs visits to prevent unnecessary diagnostic tests and for rapid management.

Seasonal Variations of Lead and Chromium Concentrations in the Water Samples From Yamuna River in Delhi, India

Background: According to Hindu mythology, Yamuna River plays an impotent role as a holy water resource in Delhi, India. The lead and chromium concentrations were determined from the water samples collected from five different locations around this river in Delhi area. The contaminated water from this river is mostly used for drinking, agriculture, aquaculture, and storage as a holy water. Methods: The seasonal variations of heavy metal concentrations in the water samples collected from Yamuna river were determined for the summer, monsoon and winter supplies, using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Results: In the summer water samples, we found greater concentrations of both heavy metals than those for the monsoon season. The concentrations of lead and chromium in the water samples were higher than the permissible limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The water quality was not safe for drinking, cleaning and agriculture, nor for the aquatic animals, such as fish, amphibians and others. Conclusion: The condition of the water in Yamuna river is of great health concerns. Therefore, it is vital to take necessary actions to decontaminate the water from this river, and to draw effective strategies to minimize or prevent the current and future contaminations added to this important water resource in India.