Royal Balinese wedding attracts tourists

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.