Sesetan villagers preserve kissing tradition
Sesetan villagers preserve kissing tradition
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
Around 30 young, beautiful couples solemnly performed a special prayer at the village temple of Banjar Kaja, Sesetan, Denpasar.
After they had finished praying, they gathered in the temple yard to watch a performance of the Barong dance (involving a mythical, lion-like beast with a pig's head), a ritual preceding the sacred, yet jovial med-medan originally omed-medan (In latest 'Bali Rebound' it is referred to as "omed-omedan") ceremony, which literally means "kissing ritual".
The centuries-old med-medan is held annually, on the day after Nyepi, the Hindu Day of Silence, which, this year, was last Sunday.
The boys waited eagerly in the southern part of the temple yard. In front of the boys, beautiful girls with blooming, pink cheeks lined up timidly, waiting for the "referee", who signaled for the ritual to begin. Traditional Bleganjur gamelan music produced customary, raucous, but melodious sounds to accompany the ritual.
The boys advanced quickly toward the shy girls. Each boy searched for his perfect match, tightly hugged the girl and kissed her on the cheek. The others did the same.
This lasted only a matter of minutes as the referee, usually the oldest and the most influential figure in the village, told them to stop and people poured water over them. The air was filled with happiness. Hundreds of spectators enjoyed the ritual, aimed at asking for divine blessing and preventing bad influences from entering the Hindu Caka New Year 1926.
For Made Widiartha, 20, a student of Warmadewa University, med-medan was an obligatory ritual to start the New Year. "I felt I had to participate in the ritual otherwise I would have cuntaka (bad experiences) in the coming months," he explained.
Many teenagers were too shy to take part in the gathering. "But we chased them and smeared their faces with mud if they refused to join in, he added.
Kadek Ari, 19, also felt the same. He was ordered by his parents and grandparents to participate in med-medan. "I felt too intimidated to ignore them," he said.
Pasek Nyoman Adnyana, village chief of Banjar Kaja, Sesetan, explained that the tradition started in l890.
Adnyana said that the story began soon after the Puputan Badung war. At that time, Anak Agung (A.A.) Made Oka, an important figure at Puri Oka, Denpasar, fell ill. The nobleman wanted to spend his days quietly in his puri ( ) until Nyepi.
To his annoyance, people in his neighborhood organized a variety of noisy, traditional games like megoak-goak (snakes and ladders) and memeong-meong (chasing like cat and dog)in the village temple yard. Hundreds of men and women -- young and old -- participated in these jolly games. Some of them, especially the young, naughtily availed themselves of the opportunity to tease the beautiful girls.
The noise annoyed the nobleman. He felt terribly dizzy. Oka left his puri and marched angrily toward the crowd. He urged the people to stop the carry-on and stop shouting at each other.
Strangely, when Oka reached the crowd, his illness began to slowly diminish. After that, he felt healthier than before.
According to 62-year-old Arya Jimbaran, or I Gusti Ngurah Oka Putra, one of A.A. Made Oka's grandsons, this communal tradition came to be regarded as a sacred ritual for residents of Banjar Kaja, Sesetan.
He said that he knew the authorities were preparing to enact the law on pornography, but he was convinced that med-medan would be exempt as it was a centuries-old tradition for people in Sesetan.
"Nobody here would dare to stop the med-medan tradition," confirmed Arya Jimbaran. Moreover, he added, kissing was a manifestation of people's sense of togetherness and brotherhood instead of pure lust.
"This is certainly not a pornographic event. It's a kind of communal activity to express their deep gratitude to Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa after performing Tapa Brata Penyepian (silence meditation)," said the grandfather of 11.
What's more, people are afraid of experiencing some kind of calamity if they fail to perform the annual med-medan.
Even during the Dutch colonial period, people were willing to pay a fine to the Dutch authorities as long as they could still hold the important ritual.
In the past, Sesetan people once failed to carry out the ritual for social and political reasons after the failed, alleged Communist coup of Sept. 30, l965.
Following that decision, a series of weird incidents occurred in the village. Many people fell ill without explanation.
The villagers later explained their problem to a spiritual leader who later advised them to resume the med-medan tradition.
"Previously, I considered the tradition to be a kind of social deviation. I even suggested that people stop observing it," he admitted.
Sesetan people later skipped the ritual for years until one afternoon in l980. On Nyepi day, people in the village observed a strange incident. Two pigs appeared from nowhere in the village. The animals fought each other ferociously.
"When people tried to separate the animals, the pigs suddenly disappeared. People, including myself, were terrified," said the grandfather.
The villagers decided to hold a special meeting, involving the entire community.
"After a long debate, the villagers decided to continue performing med-medan," said Jimbaran.
Prior to the ritual, participating boys and girls were required to hold a special prayer in the village temple to ask for divine blessing.
"Many people here also believed that Ida Bethara Ratu Gede Bangkal Putih, the goddess who resides in the village temple, was fond of watching med-medan," he said, in explaining the spiritual background to the ritual.
In accordance with a decision of the Parishada Hindu Dharma (Hindu High Council), med-medan must be performed on Ngembak Geni, the day after Nyepi, when people are allowed to light fires again.