Mekare-kare Tradition: The pandan Wars of Tenganan Pegringsingan 

One of the yearly highlights at Desa Adat Tenganan Pegringsingan (Traditional Village of Tenganan Pegringsingan) is Mekare-kare, the vibrant pandan wars that mark the ‘climax’ of their ritual calendar.The pandan war  procession or mekare-kare in Tenganan is a ceremonial offering to honor the ancestors and Dewa Indra, the God of War. The most visible rituals include: Manyunan, where all of the young daha (young women), dressed head-to-toe in their best gringsing cloth and other accoutrements, take their seats on age-old ritual swings, which are then turned by the teruna (young men). The swing is symbolic of the cyclical nature of life — these young Tengananese to keep the wheels turning another generation.

Then comes the Pandan Wars. Taking place in front of one of the bale petemuan pavilions, the stage is set for battle. The young teruna men take their turns to face an opponent with bunched, thorny pandan leaves in one hand and a rattan shield in the other. Then, to the tune of the sacred selonding gamelan, the fights begin. Chaotic scenes as each warrior scrambles and wrestles in an effort to grate the skin of their opponent with the sharp thorns of the pandan.

The Tenganan Pegringsingan Culture Festival

The Tenganan Culture Festival is organized by the Karangasem Regency government as an effort to increase tourism visits. This can be seen from the increasing number of tourists visiting Tenganan during the major ceremonies, and the tradition of the Pandan War. In the Tenganan Pegringsingan Festival, dozens of Karangasem's typical Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) participate in exhibitions, and competitions are held as a way to unearth the creativity of the youth in Karangasem.