Melasti ceremony at Pura Petitenget in Seminyak Bali

This week is an intense time for religious Balinese and today was the start with the Melasti ceremony occuring at beaches all over the island.

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Living in Seminyak I did not have far to travel to watch a Melasti ceremony. A temple, Pura Petitenget and Pura Masceti are at the end of Jl. Oberoi at La Lucciola and are close to my house.

Ika and I rode over both with sarongs, myself with a purple sash. We would not be entering a temple but there was so much significance in the surrounding areas for this ceremony I think the locals would consider it all sacred.

Melasti is the annual washing of the temple implements before the biggest day of the year, Galungan, which is tomorrow. Priests and banjars from every part of Bali have to wash their temple equipment in the sea as part of a ritual cleansing and Pura Petitenget is ideally placed to handle large crowds with easy access to the temple and the ocean.

I used a safety pin to help my sarong stay up and with a large dose of sunscreen and a hat ventured out into the crowds. People were arriving with family members bearing offerings and it was a bit of a melee. Each banjar had its temple equipment inside a specially decorated container which was placed on the beach. Worshippers waited in the hot sun for their turn to take it to the waters edge and perform the cleansing.

Ika brought a sarong too but used it more for sun protection than protection from evil spirits. Coming from Java and being a Muslim she is not a part of this cultural event at all. I know there are times when a woman is considered ritually unclean, one of them being during menstruation and was wondering if being pregnant was equivalent. The Balinese often greet me with nods and the occasional comment and I asked Ika what they said to her. She told me they did not speak to her as I am sure they could tell by her lack of traditional dress and a bule companion that she is not Balinese.

Plenty of people out selling drinks and satay as well as an assortment of other strolling snacks, mie goreng and the salmonella cart (bakso).

Parking was free for this event, with no entrance fee. There were a few tourists in attendance and some people got a bit more culture than they bargained for, with locals occupying a beach side restaurant and using every square foot of grass and shade.

Young and old attendended and I really enjoyed checking out the different style and colors of sarongs.

After the ceremonial cleansing at the waters edge, the temple equipment was brought back over a wooden bridge to the parking area to be taken back to the temple. Balinese priests are extremely strict about who can handle the ceremonial masks and other items and everything has to be done according to custom.

Banjar traffic cops, the pecalang were patrolling and as usual were equipped with their ceremonial wiggly knife, the kris.

Plenty of turtle satay going on for 13,000rp I understand and Ika got a coconut juice for 1,500rp.

Balinese temple ceremonies involve plenty of offerings made of flowers and other natural products. The Melasti ceremony left the beach covered in trampelled offerings and somewhat like a waste dump. Not to worry I guess if its all bio-degradable and the sea takes it out.

After about an hour Ika and I had to get away from the searing sunlight and heading back to our bike down Jl. Oberoi.

Temples in the Kuta area made pilgrimages down to Kuta beach to the delight I am sure of camera happy tourists.