For as much as we hardly moved today.....there was a lot of learning that went on! Today was a rainy one and so we were able to use our new umbrellas. Fortunately we purchased the small size so they're able to fit down our laneway. The rain came in torrents pretty much from 1 pm till about 5 and when I say torrents....it really was like something you've only seen in the movies! Initially we just watched it fall and then for a bit Lynda made good use of it as the perfect way to cool down after her yoga. She just walked right out into the middle of the yard, put her face up to the skies and enjoyed mother nature's version of a "rain shower". The funny part is that afterward she had to go inside and have another shower as she didn't think the vegetation in the back yard would appreciate a lunch of shampoo and soap! The "whistling man" from next door was busy cleaning his accommodation right at the same time as Lynda went out and so he got a good chuckle out of her impromptu rain dance. There was lots to learn as we watched the rain fall in the yard. We learned that different types of leaves behave differently in the rain. The papaya leaves are designed and placed in such a way that they totally protect the fruit from the rain. There is another type of leaf that looks a lot like an umbrella and it too was protecting everything underneath is. As well, it's young leaves reacted very differently to the rain that it's older leaves did. We learned that frogs and snails seem to be able to swim! And I learned that when you move the cushion on the chair you were just sitting on you might just find a little house lizard hiding there!
Another thing we learned this afternoon was that our little umbrellas work perfectly! We were able to make our way down the lane and across Monkey Forest to that new little warung we found a couple of days ago. And we learned that Daisy's Warung has some good eats! I learned that lemon squash is deliciously refreshing and Lynda learned that she loves something that I cannot remember the name of but that is on the beverage list and that consists of everything from avocado to papaya and little squares of jelly to mango. Oh ya...and it also has some kind of delicious liquid that turns pink as some of the fruits and whatever else is in there begin to break down a little. We're both thinking that one of those "drinks" would do for a light lunch!
Then tonight was when the big learning occurred. Pasek and Jati joined us for coffee on our patio and it wasn't long before conversation turned to some of the interesting cultural norms here in Bali. Fortunately for us, Jati really is a wealth of information and his English is so good that he is able to explain anything we ask about in detail. I think I've mentioned before about how extensive his vocabulary is and as much as he's unbelievably humble about it....his vocabulary is better than many english as a first language speakers! Tonight I think the example I made note of was omnivorous. Really? That word doesn't show up very often in any basic english classes I've ever heard of! But back to our learning for tonight....we got into conversation about what would happen if a Balinese wanted to marry a non Balinese. This question led into a deeper conversation about the different types of celebration that happen at the different types of temples. One of those is the 'human' category. Human's have celebrations at all stages of life here in Bali but the bulk of them seem to come right at the beginning. In fact, the first one happens even before a baby is born...while it is still in the womb. The next one takes place at birth and right behind that there is another one that is focused on the placenta. The placenta is placed into a hollowed out coconut shell (coconuts are considered to be holy here in Bali) and buried to the right of your doorway if the baby was a boy and to the left of your doorway if the baby was a girl. The next celebration happens at 12 days old and then the next one is at 42 days old. Then there is one at 3 months when bracelets are placed on the babies wrists and ankles and which is the first time that the baby will have been allowed to touch the ground. To that point in time the baby would either have been placed up off the ground on a bed or other platform or carried. This 3 month celebration is also when the baby will be given its name. (The name will have been registered at the time of birth as required by bureaucracy but the baby will not "receive" it's name until this 3 month celebration). The next celebration is at 6 months and then the next is at 12 months and then there is another at 18 months. Then there is a bit of a break as the next celebration isn't until the child reaches puberty. This celebration officially moves them from childhood into adolescence. The next celebration is the one that typically happens when a person is old enough to marry. This one consists of filing down their 6 front teeth which is symbolic of eliminating or at least minimizing 6 different negative qualities that humans likely possess. They include greed and rudeness but I can't remember the rest. This celebration also officially moves a human from adolescence to adulthood. The final celebration that falls into this human category is when you die. After that, even your cremation falls into a different category....the one for ancestors.
In truth I might have missed one or made a little error in my timelines but basically...this gives you a snapshot of the complexity of the cultural norms here in Bali. Each of those celebrations has deep meaning for each of the stages and reasons for each of the elements of the process.
You'll recall that all of this (and much much more!) resulted from the question about a non Balinese marrying a Balinese. The answer to that question is that if the non Balinese is male it doesn't matter because the responsibility will be for the wife to adopt the faith of her husband. However, if that non Balinese is a female then she must convert to Balinese Hinduism (which is different from Indian Hinduism and that was a whole other conversation!) prior to a marriage being able to take place. Her conversion will occur in a single day and that conversion consists of that entire list of human celebrations taking place in a single day with every single event being acted out to demonstrate the human passage. And yes folks...she even has to have her 6 front teeth filed down just a little. I did ask Jati if it hurts and he said honestly that yes, it does. They don't take too much off as they know that it is not good to but in Jati's case all 6 teeth are exactly the same length. Each tooth is filed on its own - each symbolizing one of those 6 not so good qualities that I cannot remember.
Bottom line for today is that it was a really interesting one! We also got to see the moon for the first time since arriving here. Cloud cover has kept the moon hidden and tonight we got to see a perfect little crescent moon smiling down on us. (Yes here the crescent moon is like a smile vs the top part being visible.). Tonight we also got to hear the bull frogs search one another out so they could sing in chorus and when Jati pointed out how much they sounded like the chanting in the Fire Dance we saw about a week ago....we could immediately hear the similarity!
....another great day! Till next time....
L & L
No comments:
Post a Comment