Balinese people hold 'Mekotek' ceremony to ward off misfortune

Hundreds of Balinese carry long wooden poles through the streets of Munggu village, accompanied by the rhythm of traditional music for Kuningan Day, one of the holiest celebrations in Balinese Hinduism. The ritual, known as Mekotek, takes its name from the sharp sound produced when the poles -- traditionally crafted from locally sourced pulet wood -- crash together as participants try to create a moving tower.

Beyond its spiritual purpose of warding off misfortune, oral tradition believes that Mekotek commemorates the victory by the old Balinese kingdom of Mengwi over a Javanese kingdom in battle in the 17th-18th century.