Ceremony

In Balinese society refined behavior, appearance, and feelings are valued over the coarse and uncivilized, where the latter is symbolized by physical features such as pointed teeth. Removing these features is believed to make the person more attractive as well as getting rid of associated negative traits such as lust, greed and anger.

A toothfiling may be an intimate affair as in the video of Widyanthi’s ceremony where the event took place in the main pavilion in her house compound. It may also be an elaborate public spectacle with the various Balinese castes having their own platforms, priests, and paraphernalia. In both private and public toothfilings the initiate is laid on a raised platform with her or his head pointing in the most auspicious direction. The chest is covered with special cloths such as gilded textiles. The filer (who may also be a priest) places a small cylinder of sugarcane in the corner of the initiate’s mouth to prop the jaws open and uses a metal rasp to file the top teeth into a straight line.