INDONESIA, RBTVDISWAY.ID - According to Hinduism, throughout life, humans have ceremonies commemorating the end or beginning of a particular stage of life.
For example, when a baby is born, the placenta planting ritual is performed; at three months old, the nelu bulanin ceremony is performed; at six months, the otonan ceremony is performed; upon reaching adulthood, the menek kelih ceremony is performed; and so on, until death, when the ngaben ceremony is performed.
This ceremony is known as Manusa Yadnya, or a sincere holy sacrifice to purify human life.
One part of the Manusa Yadnya ceremony is Metatah, or Mepandes, or Mesangih.
Metatah is a religious procession performed to mark the transition to a more dangerous stage of life.
Metatah comes from the word "tatah," which means chisel. Generally, the Metatah ceremony is known as a tooth filing ceremony.
However, Metatah holds significant significance for Hindus. This ceremony is mandatory for all Hindus to remove evil elements from the body.
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The Meaning of Metatah
According to djkn.kemenkeu.go.id, the tooth filing ceremony involves filing both canines and four incisors in the upper jaw.
After the teeth are filed, each person undergoing the metatah is asked to taste six flavors: bitter, sour, spicy, astringent, salty, and sweet.
These six flavors have their own meanings: bitter and sour symbolize fortitude in facing the hardships of life, spicy symbolizes anger that must be controlled.
The astringent taste symbolizes obedience to applicable rules and norms, salty symbolizes wisdom, and sweet symbolizes happiness.
For Hindus, the metatah ceremony holds profound meanings for life. These meanings include the following:
1. It marks the transition from humankind to a true human being, able to control themselves from the temptations of lust.