Ma’Nene Toraja Festival
- 4 Days
- Culture & Nature
Easy
The Ma’nene Toraja Festival is a unique celebration of life and death. The festival, also known as the Ceremony of Cleaning Corpses, is a time for families to honor and pay tribute to their ancestors. On the first day of the festival, the families will open up the tombs of their ancestors to clean and dress the corpses. The bodies are then wrapped in fresh clothes and offered new items. This is done to show respect and honor to their deceased loved ones. The Torajan people believe this will not only appease the spirits but also bring good luck and prosperity.
A spectacular Rambu Solo Festival will be held on June 24-25, 2024
The Next Ma’ Nene Festival will be held every day from August 24 to 26, 2024. This festival is usually 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 meet their ancestor/relatives after being apart for years.
A big Ma’nene Toraja festival involving a large number of families can take every 4 – 5 years. But the small one, generally held by a small family, can be held yearly, usually in August or September.
The festival offers an opportunity to witness and immerse yourself in a unique, vibrant culture that celebrates the cycle of life and death. It is also a chance to experience authentic Torajan culture. The Ma’nene Toraja Festival is an unforgettable cultural experience that should be on every traveler’s bucket list.
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
