We are on our 6th and final day living with a local family out in the countryside of rice fields. Their home made up of several bungalows... one a kitchen, another a shower room, bedrooms and now the recent addition of two guest bungalows all set in a lush garden of hellaconia, torch- ginger, orchids, banana, coffee and coco trees. It has been just delightful staying with our hosts Wayan, Ayu and their 2 sons, Argus 14 and Anta 10. They have treated us like family, enjoying sharing stories, Balinese meals, and day-to-day living. Ayu gave Ron a 'one on one' lesson for making the delicious chicken soup... it's all in the spices, several of which we are not familiar with, however Ayu made a special trip to the store and presented us with them, hopefully I will be able to get them through customs. Fido, their dog, enjoys stiring up the cats/roosters.. and is always eager to join us on our walks through the rice fields.
Speaking of which, remember those eels I mentioned living in the muddy rice fields....well, they are pretty tasty when 'crispy fried!' Which is more than can be said for the durian fruit... outward appearance - spikey hard melon shape, firm fleshy interior, revealing a soft pearly pocket of pus, smells awful, but just relished by the locals .... I had only a small taste which continued to repeat for hours, giving the illusion I had ingested cow dung! - I think that about sums it up.
Yesterday, was the big New Years Celebration (this year it's 1935!) an anticipated event for many months. The making of the offerings, which normally is a daily event, became a huge preparation. The morning of March 11th we joined all the villagers in their temple for the rituals of prayers, music and dance with elaborate costume and makeup for both females and males alike.
Ayu loaned us traditional clothing and although we still stood out (being THE ONLY non-villagers) we were totally embraced by the community. Arriving at the village crossroads, where the main temple is situated, as guests, we were invited (informed it was an honor) to partake in the sharing of special coffee/steamed - cake made from rice, coconut and banana - normally reserved for the elders/organizers. Everyone sits cross legged on the road with a small backet of flowers, food and incense, the lady beside me happily shared her basket and showed me how to pray and 'wash my face' in the spiralling incense. Lastly we were blessed with holy water which was administered via soaked grass, similar to having a mini shower... all this took several hours, but the young did not cry/complain just patiently sitting alongside their elders.
The 'Ogoh- Ogoh'- huge molded figures, depicting grotesque monsters, their appearance based on traditional demons, are celebrated in a Madi Gras fashion later in the evening. Each village collects donations months prior to making these elaborate Ogoh Ogoh. The skill of making them being passed down to the young boys from the old men, and the cost throughout Bali runs in the thousands of dollars.
The object of this ceremony is to attract all the evil spirits, acknowledging and giving them 'their day'. This annual (a calandar of 420 days) 'parade' starting at dusk and lasting 3-4 hours. One just mingled in the sea of sweat from the thousands of closely packed bodies. Late that night, after a most welcome cold shower, we sat on our porch as the heavens opened and pelted the ground with the hardest rain we have seen... our hosts exclaimed at breakfast the following day, that the Gods were well pleased with all the offerings/ celebrations of the previous day.
Then came the time of "Nyepi" - a 24 hour time of quietness, where the whole population stays indoors, keeping silent in order to fool any wandering bad spirits that had not been scared away by the Ogoh Ogoh the previous evening. For 24 hours, Bali stops, businesses/airports are closed, streets free of traffic, lights off, no cooking, no work, and guests are urged to remain in their hotels in the cities. The food we eat this day was all prepared in the previous days.
Our three weeks in Bali have been a wonderful adventure. We have become familiar with a culture that appears to be stuck-in-time and fully dedicated to perserving their connections to their past. Daily life absorbed with sacred rituals devoted to mantaining a life balanced between good and evil.
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