Wayang Shadow Puppet Show and 3 Month Baby Ceremony

 

Since it was an auspicious day in Bali, a day set by the priest, it
was good timing for a ceremonial Wayang Shadow Puppet Show
(Wayang Kulit) and a 3 Month Baby Celebration. I was very
excited when my now best friend Ketut, gave me a special
invitation to attend his nephew's ceremony.

 

When babies turn three months old, they are blessed by the priest,
given a special Balinese name and finally allowed to touch their
feet to the ground. Before 3 months, they are considered to be like
little Gods and too holy to touch their feet to the dirt.  The Wayang
Shadow Puppet Show is also performed on the same day, but only
if the baby was born on a particular inauspicious day on the
Balinese calendar, to prevent  having emotional problems or a
moody personality.  

At 6 pm, I headed out to the ceremony and  it was already starting
to get dark as I walked a few blocks to Ketut’s nephews house.
Since Ketut had gone to another ceremony at his village temple
and I would be on my own, for this evening. (so many ceremonies
....so little time!)  Honestly, it seems like for a local Balinese, the
required ceremonies are endless and the preparations for offerings
are very time consuming.

Trying to find a specific place in Bali is sometimes complicated,
even with directions.  Look for the stone sculpture, the shell door,
the mango fruit stand, turn left at ? shop, walk so many
kilometers (I don't think In metric!) and you will find a gate with
decorations.  In these situations, it is best to think of it as an
adventure and not be frustrated, because there is a darn good
chance of getting lost.

When the road split, I went to the right only to later find out I
really should have gone to the  left.    Through the trees, on the
other side of someone's property, I couldn't see anything, but I
could hear what sounded like a  priest singing in a  strangely
animated unusual language.  (shadow puppet shows are
performed in a Javanese language) 

I guess I’ve been to Bali enough times now, so that I can
almost sniff out where a ceremony is going to be by watching
the people carrying their offerings.  However in this case, the
road was deserted.

I felt  trapped when I saw the street's dead end and feared that
the nephew's child ceremony might be finished by the time I
got there, if I were to backtrack my steps back to the split in the
road.  Then suddenly when the impulsive part of me took over,
I took a short cut through someone’s overgrown side yard and
hen back yard.  I know what you'd say. "That is much too
dangerous, what about the angry dogs or the angry neighbors?"
Yes, I did think bout the dog aspect, but I didn't see and I would
have gone back if I did.  Also, to be honest with you, I've never
seen an angry Balinese, although I know that they too, must have
a bad day.  I walked cautiously in the direction toward a loud
speaker, weaving my way to where I thought that Ketut’s
nephew’s ceremony was located.  Along the way,there were a few
chickens and a couple of piglets scattering about in the dirt, but
all was quiet and it made me think that these neighbors must be
already at the ceremony.

I arrived at the nephews terrace and in enough timing, to see
the puppet show, with the priest chanting, singing and in the heat
of action, performing the holy ceremony. The puppets are flat
people figures with movable arms made of buffalo hide attached
to a hand held post.  There was  a hanging pot burning with hot
oil flickering flames which casted a shadow onto a rice paper
screen. Two men were accompanying the priest by playing
Balinese gamelan  music and as usual, there with a sweet wafting
of incense.  Most of the shows are based on epics of Ramayana
and Mahabharata, stories of romance, adventure and comedy.

One of the best places to see a shadow puppet show is in Ubud,
and you will need to ask around as for the location.  Since the
show may last several hours, you might want to plan ahead...
Have patience and bring a cushion to sit on, unless of course,
you are American and gifted to have your own natural cushion.

 

 

Wayang Shadow Puppet Show

 

There were a few children on both sides of the white screen watching
the show, but they didn’t appear to show as much interest as I would
expect.  As you can see, the oldest one sitting next to the screen is
either texting or playing video games. 

 



Wayang Shaadow Puppet Show



3 Months Old Baby Ceremony

 

 

As part of the ceremony,  the high priest sprinkled holy water on
Ketut’s 3 month old nephew, the grandmother was part of the
ceremony and wrapped the baby's head in strips of colored cloth. 
Peanuts and cigarettes were passed around during the ceremony. 
When all was over, the family ate a plate of food including
roasted pig, and passed around with glasses of palm wine. 
Eventually, like a small circus show, the priest packed up his gig
and headed out for his next ceremony and puppet show, as he
two more to perform that evening.

  5 minute excerpt from an Indonesian puppet show.

                                    

After the event, it gave me the opportunity to release a few of
my colorful stickers to the children.  They were all very polite,
and I was surprised that there was no grabbing of extras, like
I've seen at home.  They took only their one sticker each,
followed by “terima kasih” (thank you).

Then I walked back home in the dark for 2 blocks on a secluded
country road and to balance things out, 1 block on a busy road. I
was grateful that Bali is still a fairly safe place to be, especially
being a single woman traveling alone.

I have to admit though, that  if I had planned better, I would have

taken my pepper spray with me, for a sense of security and

protection, which is effective against both dogs and people.
However, being the tidy person that I am,  it was packed in my
suitcase!  Fortunately, in all my travels I have never come close
to needing anything for protection, but I don't want to push my
luck!