Traffic, fumes, moneychangers, touts and noise. Man do we all hate these things. Makes us wonder what Bali has become and why we come here. This afternoon, while strolling down Jl. Legian in search of something to eat, I stumbled across an upacara Balinese ceremony.
In fact Jl. Legian was blocked off, creating an air of tranquility. A sign was posted proclaiming ‘Hati hati ada upacara adat’ (careful we have a traditional ceremony) The only noise that penetrated, was the dual singing of a hundred Balinese women, and the microphone-assisted play that was going on, telling a round about story, in which good overcomes evil.
Just like a 100 years ago, Balinese people were sitting in the road, fully engrossed in a ceremony. I could tell it wasn’t a wedding, or a funeral and later found out it was a special ceremony in honor of the renovations to the local pura (temple).
Sitting on the outside of the temple wall, next to a line of Balinese men, I watched tiny Balinese dancers get ready for their performance. Some of these girls may go on to be great dancers, each specializing in a particular dance.
Underneath a large shade sat the female choir, adjacent to the all male gamelan orchestra. The 4 mythical figures carried on with their animated discourse throughout, while passersby walked through, kids chatting and sipping drinks. Balinese ceremonies are not carried out in strict silence like a church service, there is much frivolity and chatter.
Banjar men watched from underneath the shade and from the sidelines, clutching their eager fighting cocks. A line of Balinese women came out of the temple, with holy water, splashing a few drops at the entrance. The new sign outside the temple was more like a bank than a place of worship. Here in Bali, building bigger and better temples than the neighbors, is something that goes on.
While I was watching, a few tourists strolled through and snapped photos, which was fine. For me it was great to see Legian come to a standstill for a couple of hours, and get a sense of the Balinese tradition. In other parts of Bali, locals can block off a village street and no one cares, because its only Balinese people. In the Kuta area, there are so many people from all over the world the event stands out more.
