THE TRADITION OF NGELAWAR: LEARNING PROCESS FOR BALINESE MEN PLUNGING INTO THE DOMESTIC DOMAIN

Abstract

Ngelawar is an activity undertaken by Balinese men to complete the yadnya offering ceremony. It is a Hindu tradition in Bali that has been implemented since ancient times whereby Balinese men learn how to prepare, cook and serve foods that are especially required for yadnya ceremonies. In preparing yadnya there is a division of labor between men and women. Men usually do work related to preparing meat for bebanten for a caru purification; while women generally do work related to bebantenan. This paper discusses the tradition of ngelawar based on a literature review especially from the perspective of gender as well as behavioristic learning. Findings show that through the tradition of ngelawar, Balinese men directly learn to cook and thus become accustomed to pursue the domestic domain.