Balinese kissing ritual flys in the face of anti-porn bill

Balinese culture has some great rituals and Nyepi is one of them. Nowhere other tourist location in the world totally shuts down like that. Nyepi itself is not only cool ritual that has occured recently. The day after Nyepi, ritual called
Omed-omed or Med-medan, takes place in Denpasar. The thing that draws participants and spectators is the kissing ritual, where boys persue girls and sneak a kiss.

The recent anti-ponography bill proposed strict rules concerning ‘pornografi’ and ‘pornoaksi’. A largescale kissing fest would fit into the second category. Fortunately, the Balinese do not agree with such repressive ideas and carry on as usual. Omed-omed / Med-medan began when a local ruler was sick and asked the people to be silent over Nyepi. Instead they partied, which he found aroused his spirits.

I’m sure there is a fertility part in there somewhere too, birds and the bees etc. The ritual takes place in Denpasar at Banjar Kaja, Sesetan.