The traditional Balinese cuisine is a rare art that cannot be learn perfectly at cooking course, it has to be learn in the preparation of a ceremony since the traditional Balinese cuisine is dedicated mainly for the ceremonial purpose and the authenticity of the flavor cannot be achieved in the cooking course.

The basic obstacle in learning traditional Balinese cuisine is the spices. There are many kind of spices used in the traditional Balinese cuisine and there is no exact measurement on the quantity of spices used in a cooking process, all depends on the chef preference. Moreover, there is no standard for the traditional Balinese cuisine every village has its own way of cooking and the use of spices.

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Many westerners have become Balinese through the Suddhi Wadani ceremony and the Manusa Yadnya (ceremony for human) ceremony. Suddhi Wadhani ceremony can be paralleled with taking a vow ceremony. In this ceremony someone make a vow to become a Hindu follower, but in order to become a Balinese another series of ceremony have to be performed. To be a Balinese someone has to be “reborn” in Balinese way. A Balinese is given various ceremony since he/she in the womb of his/her mother until he/she pass away, even long after he/she passed away a ceremony is held for him/her.

The series of ceremony is begun with the magedong-gedongan housing of the soul) ceremony on the seventh month of pregnancy. Next ceremony is birth ceremony; it is celebrated by welcome to the world ceremony (penyambutan). Next ceremony is ceremony of seven day for the fall of the umbilical cord (kepus pungsed), followed by the ceremony of the twelfth day, the forty-two day ceremony and the third month ceremony. Upon this third month ceremony, the child is allowed to touch the ground and given a name. After these ceremonies, there will be an otonan ceremony (Balinese birthday ceremony).

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April 1, 2006

Here’s the run down on Agung Rai’s wedding marathon.

The invitation showed up days in advance…way earlier than the prescribed three days. Agung Rai and his father delivered it resplendent in Balinese costumes. The invitation was very simple and all pink and white with hearts…very valentine’s dayish. The bride is marrying ‘up’. She is Sudra (lowest caste, as I am) and of course the groom is an Agung, from the royal caste and second highest of the four castes, so she will be called jero after marriage. Her family lives in Karangasem, not very far from Tirta Ganga, the gorgeous water palace we visited, so it’s one heck of a distance away from Selat in Payangan.

Normally the bride is brought to the groom’s house before the religious ceremony, but because of the distance between the two homes and the extra costs of transportation, the families negotiated to bring her early and change much of the routine. Thank heavens for that! Two trips to Karangasem would be more than I could handle.

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