Gold and Bamboo – A Balinese Wedding
I have never been a good driver. One of the reasons for this is that I am constantly looking out the window. My head swerving from left to right, taking in every detail from the passing landscape. Although this may cause some problems when in a compact car, such as driving off the side of the road. I have found that I am still able to control a motorbike quite well, while still scanning the horizon. Therefore, whenever the option is available, I always choose to take a motorbike rather than rely on public transportation. Leaving me to explore any curious places I may run across. Thanks to may inability to focus while driving, I stumbled upon a Balinese wedding while traveling in Indonesia.
A Family Temple
While driving up to Ubud from Denpasar in Bali, Indonesia, I caught out of the corner of my eye several colorfully dressed women with dishes of fruit balanced on top of their heads. I pulled to the side of the road and saw that they had entered into what seemed to be a temple being decorated for a festival. Not wanting to miss out on a good opportunity to take in more of the Balinese culture, I locked up my bike and headed into the direction of the women. At that time, it was unknown to me that most of the temples in Bali were actually a part of people’s homes. I am still unclear if I was trespassing or was simply viewed as a tourist. But in typical Balinese fashion I was met with warm hospitality.
After passing through the main archway of the temple, I was greeted with rows of deities, all stoically guarding the entrance. On my left were older women, huddled together weaving bamboo ornaments to decorate the temple. They looked up at me and greeted me with a smile. I approached them and asked what all the decorations were for. Obviously not understanding what I said, they looked at each other and simply laughed.
In an attempt to find a translator, one of the women turned backwards and called for someone inside one of the buildings. A small framed skinny middle-aged woman then came stepping out with a smile to speak with me. She explained that they were busy preparing for a wedding which would be held the following day and invited me to attend. I was taken aback by the chance to see a traditional Balinese wedding that I felt that I couldn’t accept. I frantically told her how touched I was but did not want to impose. She assured me that I would be more than welcome, the only requirement being that I have to wear a sarong. I thanked her again and ensured her that I would be in attendance the next day. I excitedly picked up my sarong at a nearby temple and waited for the festivities the next day.
A Balinese Wedding
The next day the family temple was completely transformed into a scene out of a comic book. The extensive stone carvings were now draped in colorful banners and bamboo weavings, men and women all wore their best colorful traditional Balinese gowns. I couldn’t help but feel like an intruder, barging my way into their family function. But with all of the commotion and excitement for the wedding, I was left unnoticed, only receiving the occasional nod and smile. The groom was easy enough to find, wearing a golden head dress, heavy make-up, and a beautifully woven white tunic. I timidly shuffled my feet towards him, explaining that I was invited by a woman just the day before. Like all of my other experiences with Balinese people, I was met with nothing less that the best hospitality. In perfect English, the groom welcomed me to his home. He went on explaining that seeing a wedding firsthand, of course, would be the best way to take in the local culture. He went on to introduce himself, saying that he has been working on a cruise ship as a bartender for the last several years and has finally came home to start a family. After congratulating him again on his marriage, I continued to explore the temple ground and wedding rituals.
Wedding Rituals
Unlike weddings from other cultures, there was no clear beginning and ending to the ceremony. While guests were busy mingling, stocking the buffet with food, and listening to the band playing traditional music, the actual wedding rituals were being taken place in the background. The only way I even took notice to the blessings that were taking place was that the two wedding photographers were rushing from one side of the temple grounds to the other. I surely missed some of the religious aspects of the wedding due to them being unannounced. When I finally began to catch on, I followed several women bringing pitchers of water and sprinkling it among the ancestral statues in the temple. Over the years I have found that I have horrible luck when it comes to taking pictures, meaning I always miss the prefect shot by a mere millisecond. The photographers saw my displeasure and had me tag along with them as they made their rounds around the wedding.
The Holy Woman
On what looked like a bamboo lifeguard tower in the middle of the complex was an elderly woman sitting cross legged, surrounded by various gold ornaments. I asked one of the guests who she was and was told that she was the holy woman presiding over the wedding. All the guests were busy chatting amongst themselves, even the bride and groom were out talking to their family members in their elaborate garb, paying no attention to the proceedings happening elsewhere in the temple. The holy woman sat there unnoticed, perched on her tower while all the festivities were going on around her, reciting prayers, ringing bells, flicking flower petals, all in preparation for the marriage.
After the holy woman went through all the steps in getting herself prepared to marry the couple, the bride and groom were ushered behind the large bamboo stand. The mystic then turned and proceeded to bless and recite the vows to both the man and woman. After adding more golden earrings and necklaces to both the new husband and wife, the elderly woman then placed rice in the center of each of their foreheads, a Balinese substitute for the Indian tilaka (red powder). The ritual continued with the couple being taken from shrine to shrine, reciting various vows and prayers.
A Fly On The Wall
Being nothing more than a tourist at the wedding, at first made me feel a bit awkward. As I got used to my surroundings, I was completely immersed in Balinese Hindu culture. Watching the couple being married and taking part in the wedding, even just as a fly on the wall, was truly a memorable experience. There was a moment, however, while I was following the couple around the temple, that I felt as if I was overstepping my boundaries by shoving my camera in their face. I am known to be oversensitive in term of disrespecting other people, but it is something that crossed my mind while photographing their wedding and something I remind myself when taking photos today.
Before leaving I spoke again with the groom who was welcoming me to continue to partake in the festivities by sticking around for the reception. I respectfully declined, seeing that I had already spent over four hours at the wedding. I then shook his hand and headed on my way. The groom stated that whenever being introduced to a new culture, going to a wedding is the best way to truly understand and see it in practice. After seeing the hospitality of the Balinese it has truly inspired me to invite whatever tourists may be passing by to my own wedding, whenever that may be.
