My Love Affair with Bali - Part 3

(Grande Page 3)

By Lona Lineham

Every year that I have been in Bali I have had an opportunity to attend one of their many special ceremonies. My favourite was the wedding of my friend’s cousin, which took place in the yard of a family member. I arrived at the village about 10am and was quickly whisked away behind a shed to be dressed in a sarong and have a special sash tied around my waist so I could enter into the temple when the time came. The High Priest was sitting cross legged on a mat, chanting, sprinkling holy water, burning incense and ringing little bells. Family and invited guests were just sitting around visiting. A special chair had been saved for me right in the front row. I looked around and realized I was the only foreign face in the crowd. The Balinese guests around me were only too happy to explain the details of the ceremony. About 2 hours later, two people appeared, which I assumed was the bride and brides-maid. The bride wore a huge gold head piece with a beautiful gold sarong. Both were made up with heavy make-up - dark eye shadow, black eye liner, red lipstick and blush. The bridesmaid turned out to be the groom. They sat by the High Priest - for another 2 hours the chanting and blessings continued. A beautiful feast of Balinese food was put out for the guests to eat during this time. I decided to go find my friend who was helping prepare the food.
Walking around the village I came upon 5 very old women sitting behind some bushes, smoking cigarettes. Balinese women do not smoke! These were my kind of gals. I took out my cigarettes and motioned that I would like too join them. I was welcomed with open arms and big smiles. Eight hours had passed and the ceremony was still going on, I decided to take my leave as we had a long drive home. Two years later, while shopping, I ran into the bride carrying a beautiful baby girl. I was invited to attend the babies 6 month ceremony, where, for the first time, their little feet are allowed to touch the ground.