Already the name given to these fabrics points to the magic character ascribed to them. They are referred to as gringsing ( gring meaning 'illness', and sing' not' ). Thus the name could be translated as 'illnessaverting'. The importance attached by the village community to the weaving of these fabrics is apparent from the fact that the name of the village itself contains an allusion to gringsing.

These textiles are thought highly of everywhere in Bali and play a definite part in many important events and ceremonies. When a child has its first hair-cut, it is wrapped in one of these cloths, and when it has its teeth filed its head rests on one.

At the marriage contract ceremony the young couple are enveloped in a gringsing, a brand-new cloth being used, in the shape of a 'quiver cloth': the warp threads are mounted on the loom by relation, which has the advantage that the length of the loom need only be half the length of the fabric. The bride's mother cuts through the warp threads. After this ceremony has been completed the fabric can be used as an article of clothing; it Is no longer preserved for any other purpose.

These cloths are also used to cover the dead, and are carried on long poles at cremation ceremonies.

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