Bali trend booming as Aussie tourists seek sacred ‘healing’ ritual

A sacred cleansing ritual, which has boomed on social media with videos of women screaming and crying, has seen a significant rise in Aussies participants.

A Balinese sacred cleansing ritual that boomed on social media post-pandemic has seen a significant rise in Aussie tourists wanting to cleanse their minds, bodies and souls.

Influencers and travel bloggers over the past few years have been uploading their experiences to social media, claiming the “traditional Balinese purification ritual” is one of the best things you can do while visiting the island.

The traditional Balinese purification ritual is growing in popularity in Bali.

Participants often become overwhelmed with emotion. Picture: TikTok

A simple keyword search on TikTok and Instagram shows hundreds of videos of men and women screaming, crying and sobbing mid-ritual. Wearing traditional sarongs, surrounded by water and flowers, the emotional ceremony has gained popularity among travellers hoping find inner peace. However, some local authorities argue that such rituals are a sacred practice that can only be done by Hindu adherents.

The ceremony, known as “Melukat”, is part of the Hindu religion and is performed to cleanse the mind, body and spirit by washing or bathing in holy water. It’s a ritual that’s been passed down through generations among the Hindu community, eliminating impurities within the participant.

Tourists from around the world are visiting Bali and taking part in the ritual.

The ritual is growing in popularity in Bali.

I Ketut Pasek Swastika, the deputy of the Bali chapter of the Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) who oversees religious and spiritual affairs, said the growing ‘phenomenon’ of tourists engaging in the scared ritual was concerning.

“Non-Hindus are allowed to perform the ritual. (But) it’s called bathing and not melukat. (You) can do it in a pond, a river, a lake, as long as you don’t use the word ‘melukat’ because it’s sacred,” he said, as reported by Coconuts Bali.

However in an interview with Yahoo News Australia, a manager of a spiritual centre in Ubud said “any religion” can take part.

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“This is our tradition here in Bali, and I remember since I [was] little we always perform purification ceremony at least once a year and sometimes more,” Helena of Tri Desna Spiritual Centre said.

“It all differs,” she continued, when asked about how participants respond to the ritual.

“Some people tend to feel drowsy, some people will cry and some will laugh and smile — it all depends on you and how you feel.

“Since there is technology like Instagram or other social media it (ritual) has just become more popular. here (are) more tourists now performing this experience than before.”

Bali has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations among Australian travellers, beloved for its great surf, good food and larger than life party scene.

But more recently, Bali has emerged as a top international choice for health-focused getaways.

Wellbeing-inspired trips are becoming increasingly more common among Aussies, with 47 per cent more open to the idea of a wellness holiday than in previous years, according to Expedia research.