Ubud is a part of Bali that takes its ceremonies seriously. Here things are done in a slightly more fancy way, as if they feel they have to live up to something. One of the best times to be around a Balinese temple is the odalan ceremony. The odalan is the anniversary of the temple, which occurs every 210 days. As I was leaving my homestay this morning, 2 of the ladies were busy making a banten of fruit. These are the pyramids the ladies carry down the street, that you’ll see on most postcards. Its still a part of Balinese culture and one thing I’ve always wondered, is how they get the fruit to stay in place. This morning I looked inside the banten as they were making it and saw the inside of a banana tree.
They then use sticks to skewer the fruit into the central tree. One of the ladies told me the odalann was at the Pura Dalem (temple of the dead) and will start a 8pm tonight. There will be food, drinks and Balinese dancing. A wonderful opportunity to show Toby, Maya, Ollie and Asia a real piece of Balinese culture. Tourists are welcome to watch as long as they have a sarong and sash.
