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.