Written by Elvidiana Harbianti, Prisilia Jenifer Chintia, Mateus Ade Ananda Restu, and Maria Jensia Ndimu
MANGGARAI, PENA1NTT.COM – The Belis is a Manggarai custom frequently performed by the Manggarai community. This custom serves as a sign of respect from the groom to the bride.
Belis reflects social and cultural values passed down from ancestors and is still practiced by the Manggarai community.
However, on the other hand, this Belis tradition can pose economic challenges for the Manggarai community, especially for those in lower income brackets.
One challenge often faced by the Manggarai community is the high cost of the Belis ceremony.
This is a frequent occurrence in Manggarai, making the Belis tradition an economic burden for those in lower income brackets.
Furthermore, in this modern era, Belis is becoming more accessible to educated youth and has changed their mindset about the Belis tradition, as society begins to accept the high costs of Belis, which are not appropriate for the economic conditions of lower income groups.
Nevertheless, the belis tradition remains intact and must be preserved by the Manggarai community because it is an important cultural value that must be preserved.
This belis is also given to the bride’s family, and to strengthen family values in the Manggarai community.
The belis tradition also honors ancestors, so we must preserve them and maintain our identity as Manggarai culture.
The belis tradition is one of the traditions carried out from generation to generation from our grandmothers and ancestors as a Manggarai cultural heritage that is maintained by modern society and also to strengthen family ties.
However, this belis tradition will present challenges for lower-income communities and requires adjusting the costs of the belis to remain appropriate and not excessively challenging for the community.
Therefore, this belis tradition remains a good tradition for strengthening family ties, and must also be maintained regardless of the current economic conditions of the community.
