REBA FESTIVAL IN BAJAWA

You can see a Reba party in Ngada Regency, Flores Island. Each sub-district that participates in this traditional Flores customary ceremony will take turns to host each year, this is so that each sub-district is given an honor and has a fair role.

the day before the celebration, the opening ceremony of Reba will be held. Later that night, residents held a meal and drink together while waiting for morning. And in the morning, residents are served with food and drinks. Before the Reba Traditional Ceremony, residents performed regional art activities in the form of dances and songs which were then held an inculturation mass in the church. this activity is a form of fusion of traditional customs with Catholicism.

Reba Traditional Ceremony is a form of gratitude for the people of Ngada that is aimed at their ancestors. Sweet potatoes are the main dish in this traditional ceremony. This is because for the people of Ngada, sweet potatoes are a food source that will not be used up by the human earth. So, from here it is expected that the Ngada people will never experience food insecurity.

Following the Reba Ceremony, you will get the first-hand experience of seeing dance dances in the form of dances using dancers using a long sword with a

“tuba” spell, which is a white goat feather stick. Dancers will present music using musical instruments made from coconut shells or forest pumpkins. This musical instrument is very unique because the resonance container is covered with goat skin and the center is hollowed out. The bow is a bamboo that is tied with a weaving thread and rubbed with wax.

You will see a number of traditional villages that clearly show the chunks of standing stones, this is as if you are in the midst of a society that still survives the stone age. Ngada people also know the terms Ngadhu and Bhaga. Ngadhu is a symbol of male ancestors, and Bhaga is a female ancestor. There is one stone in the village of Bena, where the standing stone is considered very sacred, namely the ture.