Kissing Festival to entertain visitors
DENPASAR (indo.com): Travelers to Bali will witness another
unique and unprecedented event in the Island of Gods when
a kissing festival is held in Southern part of Denpasar,
Sesetan Village.
The kissing festival will be held on Monday, March 22,
2004, one day after Balinese Hindus celebrate the Nyepi
Day.
Locally called Med - Medan, the festival allows teenagers
of different sex to kiss each other in the public.
Every year, or a day after Nyepi, teenagers gathered
in groups, each consists of girls and another group consists
of boys. The groups of boys and girls will first pray
in Banjar temple before starting to do the kissing by
turn. During the festival, the main road in front of the
Banjar (society hall) is closed.
Bleganjur instrument played by local musicians accompanies
the two groups lining up in ellipse form and when the
Bleganjur beats are faster and faster, the two groups
come closer and closer until suddenly, the first person
in every group kiss each other. Then, several appointed
persons, who act as referees, pour water to them before
they separate.
According to banjar community members, this annual event
is meant to protect the village from unexpected thing.
Badra, a banjar's figure, said that once, for one reason
or another, locals did not hold the kissing festival and
consequently, they were startled with two big pigs engaged
in a fierce fighting. "Nobody could stop the fighting
and the pigs were badly injured," he said.
Since then, he said, the kissing festival is held annually
and has never been ignored. The festival is now becoming
increasingly popular not only among Balinese but also
travelers because the event delights them.
The kissing festival has lured many visitors to join
the festival but, unfortunately, participants are confined
to original villagers from Banjar Kaja Sesetan.
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