Day 10 Wednesday
Temple at Batur
Pedanda’s blessing
A Wonderful Wedding
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| 2-13 Wedding - Susan Saralegui' |
It’s wedding day, but I’ll get to that in a moment. A large group of us drove to Batur, which is the name of both the village, the temple, and the volcano. The temple was grand, the wind was cold, and the pemunkdu was young. We had a pleasant visit there and were only slightly harassed by the Baliaga people selling their wares aggressively. The trip up and back was just about an hour, but we stopped on the way back for some liquid refreshments. Beth and I had ginger coffee, which was quite horrible, but spiced it up with sweetened condensed milk. My favorite.
David Patten arranged for us to visit the pedanda who first purified our group on the second day of the tour. There were two parts: the preparation outside the pedanda’s area, and the pedanda’s purification itself. Later we found out from our driver Wayan that what we just went through is often all that is needed by a Balinese couple to be married, and the after party is simply and grandly a celebration. That means, if accurate, that we were now married as far as Balinese are concerned!
There was more to do. We went back to Sri Bungalows for our costumes. We spend nearly two hours being made up and dressed up. By the end, Beth was a princess and I was, in my view, unrecognizable! It’s important to know that in Balinese understanding, refinement is the height of masculinity. Thus, Kings and Gods in nightly performances and rituals throughout the island are often performed by women in order to emphasize grace and beauty.
All of our group was transported to Made’s compound. To say it is beautiful is an understatement, and to say his lovely wife was joyous and giving is nearly insulting, because she was so much more than that. We were all offered the best coffee, rice and banana treats called pillows, and soothingly relaxed ourselves for a while.
David Patten began the ceremony by calling everyone together. Beth and I introduced ourselves to each other and to the group poetically using symbolism from the Oghama, which we had worked out with David previously (see Day 9). David then asked me to circle Beth and view her from four directions to make sure she is the one. And so it was with Beth, who then circled me and viewed me from four directions to make sure that I was the one. David then wrapped our right hands together with the scarf we chose to write our vows on. We then brought our faces close and spoke our vows to each other.
Greig Andrews then began the second half of the ceremony to offer us our rings. He shared a message from the healer who had previously blessed us, and had seen Greig that day. We were floored that, once again, the healer was sharing with us. Greig shared words from The Prophet, spoke lovingly, and we concluded. Finally, one of our guests, Katrina, pronounced us Mr. and Mrs. Iglecia.
The celebration then commenced with dinner at Café Lotus at the Water Palace, in Ubud Kaja (North). A overwhelmingly lovely place full of lilly pads and lotus leaves inside an enormous temple. Beth and I walked through for photos and then enjoyed a great evening with our friends and guests. A Japanese couple, two tourists, took their pictures with us. We were celebrities.
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| 2-13 Durian, Temple, Costumes, After |
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| 2-13 Pedanda Ceremony |
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| 2-13 Wedding - Christian de Quincey's Photos |
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| 2-13 Wedding Susan II Small Camera |