The Ma’nene Festival: An Odd Tradition Practiced in Indonesia Every Three Years

Torajans consider the obsequy as one of the most vital and expensive occasions in their community. They save money their entire lives to afford an extravagant send-off to “Puya” or the afterlife and have a decent burial. Other families even fall into debts just to pay for the interment.

And, sometimes, they delay the funeral years after a person died. They refer to them as “a person who is sick” or “the person who is asleep” until then. For the Torajans, a person is not dead until they are buried.

The ritual lasts for several days.

They start the festival by putting animals such as pigs and buffaloes through trials of strength before they offer them as a sacrifice.

Then the people place the horns of the animals outside their homes. A family that has several horns adorning their property means that the deceased had a high status in the community.