They get around forming a circle. Men, women, and children, stop foot together. Take a handful of hands, they are delighting a random rhythm.
The scenery is the ritual part of Reba. The custom ceremony held in Wogo Village, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province. In addition to Wogo village, Reba ceremony is also held in other villages with different schedules in Ngada Regency.
Like the villages most recently, the village of the Wogo indigenous village was abandoned his citizens to qualify for work in the city. At the time of Reba, the sanak famili who has lived in the city, returning to the village to follow the annual celebration of Reba.
In Reba, people wear custom shirts, bring long swords (sau) and colorful sticks in Wogo Village, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
The brotherhood and family are one of the values visited by citizens in Kampung Wogo, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
The ritual will be seen as a party because of eating, drinking, and dancing activities that last for three to four days. But the true party is the expression of gratitude against the upper ancestors of all who have been given the earth against their lives.
The celebration was guarded by the as‘i uwi. At night su‘i uwi was done with drinking dinner (ka maki Reba) while waiting morning. Then the elders of the indigenous tribes with the family of eating in madhu, the custom building that became the symbol of the female ancestor. In this event, only men are allowed to eat in madhu. With eating together in madhu, society is considered to feed their ancestors.
In the morning, before the implementation of dance and singing ceremony was held a misculture in the church led by a spirit. Some ceremonies are also accompanied by church singing, and using local Ngada.
Warga walks around the village, invites residents who are still living in the house to start the ritual of Reba in Kampung Wogo, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
The dancers grasp long swords (sau) and colorful sticks that at the end part are decorated with white colored goat fur (tuba) prepare following the Reba ceremony in Kampung Wogo, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
After it was new to implement dance ceremony and ouwi singing. Encourage them to move forward back together. Among the dances, a mother poured arak into coconut shells and was removed throughout the reba participants.
During the Reba ceremony lasted by the dances of the dancers who hold long swords (sau) and colorful sticks that at the end part were decorated with white-colored goat fur (tuba).
Reba is used to evaluate everything about the life of community in the previous year that Ngada people have been involved. People ask for instructions to religious figures and indigenous figures to be able to live better in a new year.
Tua young, male, female, and children form a circle, dancing and singing (oouwi) in Wogo Village, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
Warga queezes hosti in the missionary before Reba celebration in Wogo Village, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
To be grateful to the ancestor and keep the brotherhood into the core of the Reba. Something often is forgotten the current generation.
Photo and Text: Rosa Panggabean
The children carry candles in the myriad of inculture before Reba ritual in Wogo Village, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
Tanpa lelah they dance and sing in rituals in Wogo Village, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
Only men who are allowed to eat in indigenous buildings called Madhu at night before the Reba ritual in Kampung Wogo, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
The food presented to eat together in Madhu (the custom building that became the symbol of female ancestors) in Wogo Village, Ngada District, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.
Warga eats together in the indigenous building named Madhu at night before Reba ritual in Wogo Village, Ngada Regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.