Ma’Nene Toraja Festival
- 4 Days
- Cultural
Easy
Toraja People are well known for their unique culture, among them is the so-called Corpse Cleaning Ceremony, locally known as Ma’nene. It involves digging up the body from the graveyard, cleaning them, let them dry, before being nicely dressed as if they are still alive.
Next Ma’ Nene Festival will be held every day starting from August 25 to Sept 9, 2023, except Saturday and Sunday. Usually, this festival is held after the harvest season.
For most of us, seeing a relative corpse after many years of being buried means a big horror. But, they threaten the corpse with care and love. It is a big joy for them to be able to meet their ancestor/relatives after being apart for years.
A big ceremony involving a large number of families can take every 4 – 5 years, but the small one, normally held by a small family can be in every year, usually in August.
Arrival by morning flight in Makassar, then proceed to Rantepao by Wings Air, departing 10.20 – 11.15. The flight is only available every Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sun.
Arrive at Rantepao, then transfer to hotel. Early afternoon, we will be visiting The cliff-side stone grave with wooden effigies on the balcony at Lemo, The royal family tombs at Suaya, and The baby grave in the huge tree at Kambira. Back to the hotel. Hotel plan : Toraja Misiliana
We spend the 2 days attending the festival at Sikuku village, north of Rantepao. We will need approximately 1 hr drive, passing through the hilly terrain with rice fields and small villages of Toraja land. This Ma’nene festival normally begins in the morning and lasts till the afternoon. In the afternoon, all those corpses are supposed to have got new clothes and are ready to be taken back to their graveyard for another 5 or 6 years, until their family comes again, and changes their old clothes with the new ones. This festival is only held by the people in the north of Toraja.
Before sunrise, we will drive to Lolai, approximately 30 minutes drive. From this high point, we can see the spectacular sunrise. At certain times, this spot looks like a small piece of land in the sky, as the cloud comes to cover the whole lower land below. Back to the hotel for breakfast. At the appropriate time, you will be taken back to the airport for your flight back to Makassar by Wings Air, departing 11.35 – 12.30
