Village wedding full of social significance
Village wedding full of social significance
Made Jagra, Contributor, Denpasar
He is neither rich nor noble.
Sixty-three-year-old Wayan Biasa is just an ordinary, modest farmer who happened to fall for a woman much younger than himself, 35-year-old Ni Ketut Yasni.
For the happy pair, who live in the small village of Abiansemal, 30 kilometers west of Denpasar, age is no barrier to love. When they got married, everybody in the village was delighted and eagerly helped prepare for the wedding.
Like a couple from a well-off family, Wayan Biasa and Ketut Yasni dressed in glittering Balinese wedding costumes. A long procession, which involved the entire village, included a special horse-drawn wedding cart.
The groom cheerfully waved to members of his family, friends and guests, while the bride shyly looked on.
They stepped down from the cart and onto a long carpet of white and yellow material, which symbolized purity, and led to a family shrine where the wedding ceremony took place.
The ceremony was covered by local print and electronic media and was attended by a number of local high-ranking government officials, as well as members of political parties.
It all began seven years ago, when the unmarried Wayan Biasa fell in love with Ketut Yasni. Despite his advanced years, Wayan Biasa had never married before, a rarity in Balinese society, particularly for men.
When Wayan Biasa expressed his intention of marrying his sweetheart, Ketut Yasni, he found himself the laughing stock of his friends. Even his family was dubious.
I Gusti Gede Agung Bawa, a villager, said he hadn't believed it was possible. "He was too old for Ketut Yasni, and everybody in the village doubted her love for him," Bawa said.
Convinced that Yasni would never marry Wayan Biasa, many villagers started making sesangi (promises) of their own, as a joke.
I Nyoman Subandi, one of the villagers, promised to invite Bali TV, a local station, to cover the wedding ceremony if Wayan Bias managed to pull the event off.
Many villagers promised to donate suckling pigs, ducks, rice, soft drinks, clothes and cash. "Most were shocked when Biasa actually proposed to Yasni through her family. This meant that they had to fulfill their promises, which at first were just jokes or encouragement for Wayan Biasa to marry Yasni," Agung Bawa said.
Sesangi, for most Balinese people, are important promises that should be carried out -- if one doesn't want to face the consequences. "You can't go back on your word, as you made a promise before others, God and the world at large," he added.
Within Balinese-Hindu society, sesangi can be regarded as promises to oneself that carry important social messages, and that one should keep for the rest of their life.
As Wayan Biasa was set to marry Yasni, villagers who had made promises kept them. "For us, it was not a burden -- we felt happy for them," Subandi said, while pointing to some Bali TV crew members. It was he who promised to invite a local TV station to cover the wedding ceremony.
When asked how many children the couple wanted to have, the villagers anxiously awaited the answer, as Wayan Biasa is over 60.
"We have already conceived -- even if you don't believe it," laughed Wayan Biasa.
Ketut Yasni was quite embarrassed. "Actually, I've been pregnant for two months," she smiled.
The wedding of these two ordinary villagers was filled with social significance. It reflected the lasting sense of community and solidarity of the Balinese people.
It could also be perceived as a good example for others, especially the political elite, to keep their promises more often.