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Title
Lelafest
The Lela festival
Creator
Zürcher, Wilhelm (Mr)
Date Created and/or Issued
1932/1938
Publication Information
University of Southern California. Libraries
Contributing Institution
University of Southern California Digital Library
Collection
International Mission Photography Archive, ca.1860-ca.1960
Rights Information
All the images (photographic and non-photographic) made available in this collection are the property of the Basel Mission and are managed by mission 21. mission 21 / Basel Mission claim copyright on the images in their possession and require those publishing any of the images--both individuals and organisations--to pay a user's/copyright fee.
Contact the Archives of mission21 at address mentioned or at info@bmpix.org.
info@bmarchives.org
mission21
mission21, Missionsstrasse 21, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland, tel. (+41 61 260 22 42), fax (+4161 260 22 68)
Description
Annotation translation: "Every year the Lela Festival is celebrated in Bali. It is the biggest and most important of all the Bali festivals and goes on for several days. The Chief alone is responsible for deciding when it will take place. When he gives his subjects the command to begin with the preparations both men and women are fully occupied. The men butcher animals and prepare great quantities of palm wine. The women brew maize beer and cook vegetables from their own produce. At the height of the festival an animal is sacrificed at a special place. It may be a white cock or a white ram. With this sacrifice they seek reconciliation with the deity and ask for power, success, health, and protection from all evil. At the place of sacrifice the white flags of the Bali flutter on tall poles, and smaller staffs also stand there - one is visible in the photograph. These are medicine-staffs. It is believed they are the dwelling-place of the deity on whom they call."
Annotation: "Jedes Jahr wird in Bali das Lelafest gefeiert, es ist das grösste & wichtigste aller Feste & dauert etliche Tage. Der Häuptling allein setzt die Zeit fest, an der es abgehalten werden soll. Wenn er seinen Untertanen befiehlt, mit den Vorbereitungen zu beginnen, sind Männer & Frauen vollauf beschäftigt. Die Männer schlachten Tiere & bereiten grosse Mengen Palmwein zu. Die Frauen brauen Maisbier & kochen von ihren Feldfrüchten. Am Haupttag wird an einem besondern Ort das Opfertier geschlachtet. Einmal ist es ein weisser Hahn, ein anderesmal ein weisser Widder. Mit diesem Opfer wollen sie die Gottheit versöhnen & Kraft, Erfolg, Gesundheit & Bewahrung vor allem Unglück von ihr erbitten. An hohen Stangen flattern an der Opferstätte die weissen Fahnen der Bali, daneben stehen aber noch kleine Stäbe, einer ist auf dem Bild sichtbar. Es sind Medizinstäbe. In diesen, so glauben sie, wohnt die Gottheit, die jetzt um Hilfe angerufen wird."
Stamped: "Museum der Basler Mission, Basel, Missionsstrasse 21."
Type
image
Format
b/w positive, paper print, gelatin-silver
5.7 x 7.8 cm.
Identifier
impa-m30272 [Legacy record ID]
impa-abmpix-19997
http://doi.org/10.25549/impa-m30272
http://thumbnails.digitallibrary.usc.edu/impa-abmpix-19997.jpg
Subject
Lela (festival)
Calabash
Ceremonial scene
Festival
Flag
Sacral place
Sacrificial object
Sacrificial place
Time Period
1932/1938
Place
Bali
Cameroon
Source
E-30.85.248 [Reference number]
Relation
Cameroon. Land, people, religion. 5 Photographs by Zürcher. A) Land, nature, plants, animals, landscapes, places; b) the life of the people; c) religion
Historical Photographs from the Basel Mission
International Mission Photography Archive, ca.1860-ca.1960
impa-m15099; impa-m17144
mission 21 / Basel Mission

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