Motondhalo, Gorontalo's traditional ceremony

Source: private documentation

Note: this is one of my cousin's Tondhalo ceremony. The video is published after getting her consent.

Molondalo also known as raba puru (in Manado Malay language) is a traditional ceremony in celebrating the pregnancy. The ritual is usually held when the pregnant woman has reached the 7th month of pregnancy.

During the tondalo ritual, a married couple will wear traditional clothes, called "sundi".

The initial process of tondalo is "tondo'o" where the "hulango" or shaman will put her the index finger covered with turmeric powder on the forehead of a pregnant woman. The purpose of this "tondo'o" is so that the house's devil does not disturb the pregnant woman.

The tondalo process continues with carrying the pregnant woman to a room that has been decorated like bridal rooms. Then, the pregnant woman is then asked to lay down on the carpet. The shaman will put a coin on top of the pregnant woman's belly button. By doing this, the shaman can tell if the baby is in good condition or not. It even can find out the age of the womb.

After that process, the shaman will invite the husband into the room to do a "langge" procession. That is, the husband will step over the belly of the pregnant woman three times. When his position is still standing, he has to pull the white cloth wrapped around his wife's waist. The procession means that the birth of a pregnant woman will run smoothly, quickly, and easily.

Finally, the couple will be asked to walk around the house, from the front door to the kitchen door. When they finish, they will sit together to eat traditional meals in a tray consists of Bilinthe rice (a kind of fried rice and chicken) prepared for the ceremony.  They will feed each other with boiled eggs and other food.

The ritual continues with the chanting of the pray led by Imam.