Teeth filing ceremony is a Balinese ceremony where one has their six teeth filed by a priest who specialized on this. It is a mark of growing up from childhood to adulthood. Every Hindu Balinese would performed this ceremony to their children as they reached their adolescent.
It was October 27th when I attended the teeth filing ceremony of my wife's niece. The teeth filing was combined with another ceremony: a wedding.
As a Balinese, we should have the teeth filing ceremony before wedding. But, it is very common today to have a teeth filling ceremony at the same time with the the wedding.
My family and I went to Banyupoh village, a village located close to the sea, to get to where the ceremony is conducted. This was actually the hose of the groom whom my wife's niece was going to get married with. So, it was teeth filling ceremony first, followed by the wedding.
There were all five young people had their teeth filed that day. They went one by one lying on the bed prepared by the family. The main priest, dressed in white, rub their teeth with what look like a small bar or rough metal.
It seemed to me they did not feel any pain. When I had my teeth filed few years ago, I felt pain until the back of my head. Or was it my feeling? Can you imagine your teeth rub with a rough piece of metal?
my son was wondering if it hurt to have teeth filed.
When all those young people got their turn, then lead by the priest, they prayed together. It is hoped that after the teeth filing ceremony they will "grow" into adult. They will learn to control their six enemies: greed, lust, anger, jealousy, confusion, drunkenness as represented by the six teeth.
she had her teeth filed.