Royal Balinese wedding attracts tourists

Text and photos by Oka Budhi Yogaswara

UBUD, Bali (JP): A royal Balinese wedding here last month attracted hundreds of tourists to this resort island.

Tjokorda Ngurah Suyadnya, 25, and Tjokorda Istri Indira Shanti, 22, were married last month at the residence of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa in Puri Saren Kauh, Ubud, 30 kilometers from Bali's capital of Denpasar. The groom is the third and youngest son of Tjokorda Gde Agung Suyasa, whose grandfather was the fourth generation after Ubud's last king. The bride is the first child of Tjokorda Gde Ardjana of Puri Sayan, Ubud.

The ceremony procession started at 8 a.m. at the grand Puri Ubud. Relatives arrived one after another at the temple adorned with beautiful floral and coconut-leaf decorations as well as ritual offerings.

Among the dignitaries present were Minister of Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana and Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave as well as the governor and regents of Bali. Security measures were gradually stepped up.

Nearby residents arrived bearing a variety of foods and offerings. Priests and dancers in multicolored outfits as well as gamelan players from around Ubud flocked to the wedding site.

Around 9 a.m., the groom, in white Balinese wedding attire, came out of the puri (temple) gate under an umbrella carried by one of his guards. He entered a silver Mercedes limousine, with his followers right behind him in another plush car. Under police escort the retinue drove to Puri Sayan in Gianyar, not far from Ubud, to be joined by the bride.

Half an hour later the bridal procession and relatives moved in the direction of guards and women bearing fruit and offerings on their heads.

The bride and groom were carried in litters since they were not allowed to touch the ground. They were shaded by umbrellas on the right and left as they moved toward the puri to the accompaniment of Balinese gamelan music. The groom sat erect in his litter while holding a kris, a symbol of his royalty. The bride wore a kebaya and was draped in an orange material from head to foot, leaving the guests to wonder about her beauty.

At the entrance to the puri the procession stopped a short while to allow the priest to say a prayer for the bridal procession. As the procession entered the puri through the first gate it was welcomed by gamelan music. The pair had to be carried in sedan chairs through the second gate, which was too narrow for the litters to pass through. Then the bride and the groom were led into their rooms to change clothes for the next ceremony.

Meanwhile, scores of women in yellow from the surrounding and more distant areas kept coming, carrying rice, fruit and small cakes on their heads. From a distance, they appeared like a yellow serpent slithering through the vehicles and pedestrians.

It was an occasion for tourists to photograph a rare event. Closer to the ceremony, tourists were allowed to take pictures in the first court of the puri, where dance performances were often put on by residents from the surrounding areas like Bentuyung, Peliatan and Batuan. Two gamelan groups on low platforms alternated playing. Their spirited music was accented by a touch of modernity in the form of 29-inch TV sets, which relayed the proceedings of the ceremony.

To attend the ceremony in person, one had to abide by the committee's rules, which were set by the relatives. Men had to wear sarongs, short- or long-sleeved shirts and an udeng, or headdress. Women had to wear sarongs, long-sleeved kebaya and roll up their hair. They were forbidden from entering the inner court of the puri.

After changing their clothes, the bride and groom went to the ceremony, which was led by a religious leader. He pronounced the couple man and wife through a series of blessings and ceremonies which symbolized a life in which the wife obeys the husband and the husband provides his wife with guidance and a livelihood. The groom pierced a leaf in the center with a kris to symbolize the girl abandoning her virginity and entering a new life. The ceremony ended with a joint prayer. The couple stepped over a rope as a sign they had entered a new life.

The two returned to their rooms to change clothes once again, this time into their royal garb. This was the most important in the series of ceremonies. Both bride and groom followed the ceremonies in high spirits.

They took a rest in their rooms and had their make-up retouched in the afternoon. Guests started to arrive as the priest was giving his advice and philosophical thoughts about this worldly life. He also read from texts written in Sanskrit.

The tourists waited outside in feverish anticipation of the wedding ceremony and the legong, gambuh and mask dances to follow. Most showed their respect by wearing sarongs and shirts with sleeves. But some (despite the families having circulated information about the proceedings to hotels and travel agents) were inappropriately dressed, apparently ignorant of Balinese custom.

The next ceremony was led by a priest in special dress and headgear, who was helped by a number of assistants. It took place in the family's prayer room on a low platform supported by 12 poles. The bridal pair was then carried to a place not far behind Puri Ubud to ask for the benediction of Sang Hyang Widi (God). The bridal pair returned to the puri, where a series of speeches were given by relatives and guests. Bali Governor Ida Bagus Oka gave his advice to the pair on how to enjoy a lasting matrimony guided by Sang Hyang Widi. After the speeches dinner was served. The long day ended with the bridal pair being congratulated by the guests.