Wae Sano Residents Hold Barong Wae Water Ritual

Wae Sano — Residents of Wae Sano in Manggarai Barat held the Barong Wae ritual on 6 October 2026 at Wae Kuta spring. The ritual honoured water, ancestors and the spring’s guardian, according to Floresa.co.

The gathering took place during the Festival Bumi Sano Nggoang, held from 3 to 7 October. Residents travelled about 400 metres from the Pastoran Paroki St. Mikael Nunang to Wae Kuta, where they cleaned the spring and prepared ritual offerings.

Herman Hemat, a 74-year-old customary elder from Kampung Nunang, led the ritual. Floresa.co reported that participants included residents and women from the village, alongside Pastor Valerianus Paulus Jempau.

The offerings were divided among the sky, earth, ancestors and the guardian of the spring. The prayers included a request for rain and for the spring to continue supplying water to living beings.

Why Wae Sano’s water ritual matters

The Barong Wae ritual links water protection with Manggarai customary heritage. Floresa.co reported that residents cleared fallen leaves obstructing the flow from Wae Kuta to a collection tank.

The report said the water resumed flowing towards the tank and residents’ homes after the cleaning. It also noted that forms of Barong Wae vary across Manggarai Barat, Manggarai and Manggarai Timur, while sharing a focus on gathering at a spring, customary recitation and offerings.

Floresa.co described the Wae Sano ritual as part of a wider tradition in which protecting a water source is understood as protecting life. The report did not state a separate next step after the ritual.

Sources

• Floresa.co — Indonesian news report
• asiaexchange.org