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Top:/Destinations/East Nusa Tenggara/Religion
 Even though the majority of the Indonesian population is Islam, most of the people in East Nusa Tenggara are Christian. There are about 56% Catholics, 35% Protestant 8% Islam, 0,6% Hindu and Buddhist, and the rest still follow their traditional system of belief. One of the outstanding traditional beliefs is Marapu.
Although Christianity has in recent times spread considerably throughout the island. It is still possible to see the remnants of an ancient Indonesian pagan culture with many still adhering to the animist Marapu religion of ancestral and land spirit worshipping, especially in west Samba.
This belief is considered to be a religion since the system of worshipping the highest being is quite formal and routine. They believe in a temporary life on Earth and an eternal life in the spirit world in Marapu heaven known as Prai Marapu. The occupants of this eternal heaven lead a similar existence to mankind.
The animistic, spiritual, and dynamic elements are contained within every festival, with the magical factor strongly influencing the belief by placing the role of the spirit as the main component.
Any spirits, according to Marapu beliefs, consist of two elements i.e. Ndewa and Hamanangu. In short, the Marapu concepts are about balance within the universal life through which happiness can be gained. The balance is symbolized by the Great Mother (Ina Kalada) and the Great Father (Ami Kalada), who live in the universe and take the forms of the moon and the sun.
In mythology, they are husband and wife who subsequently gave birth to the ancestors of the Sumbanese.The Sumbanese place effigies, called Marapu statues, on stone altars where they lay their offerings in the forms of Sirih Pinang (a dish containing betel leaves, nuts and lime) and sacrificial cattle. The statues of Marapu are made of wood in the shape of human faces. These images are usually placed within the yards of their homes or inside their traditional houses.
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