Ubud: A Hindu purification ceremony that left me feeling happy, cold, and clean

Indonesia is a strongly religious country with Muslims prominent in the northern island of Jakarta, and Hindus in the more southern island of Bali.  All over Bali, within a hundred feet or so, temples line the streets.  At any  given time in the day, you can see men or women bringing offerings, called canang sari and leaving it before the temple.  This means that all along the city, canang saris are found on the street.  It is a small flat bowl made out of palm leaf.  Inside, they hold flowers, other plants, and even money.

Kadek is actually not Hindu, but Christian.  Her mom married a Christian and converted.  They even still had their Christmas tree up in the home and a sign in front of the house saying "Christ is the head of this home".  I really feel for Kadek since she has to try to find a Christian to marry in a country where so many are Hindu.

After I went surfing, Kadek and I drove to my hostel to collect my luggage.  Her friend Adit came as well and very kindly carried my luggage to Kadek's house on his motorbike.

Kadek lives in Jimbaran.  Her house has a beautiful garden outside.

She told me that the government shuts down the water certain days of the week.  So the people collect water and store it in a tank.  That meant that her toilet was like a lot of Eastern toilets which don't have a pumping system or flush.  Instead, you take a bucket full of water from a container in the bathroom and pour the water down the toilet, which helps wash away what you just did.  I also showered using the bucket filled with water as well.  The shower is located outside the house, in a separate enclosed area.

Adit called his uncle to arrange a private car for us to visit Ubud the next day.  I paid 425,000 ruphias, about $45 dollars for the car and the driver.

The next day we set out for Ubud, the cultural and arts center of Bali.  We first visited the monkey forest.  Then we went to Puru Tirtha Empul, a Hindu temple used for purification ceremonies because of its holy water.

Just outside the pool, a group of about 40 men, women, and children, sat before the priest and had their hands before their face in prayer.  Then their spiritual leaders went around the group sprinkling water on their heads.

The women wore kebays.  I first saw kebays in Malaysia, and didn't recognize what they were until I asked Kadek what the women were wearing.  Its actually the traditional dress of Indonesia, particularly in Bali.  Kadek told me she had a couple at home and that we could try them on!  The women were all so beautiful and Kadek asked them if I could take a photo with them.

We walked to the large pool that held the holy water.  Maybe a hundred people were packed inside, though formed orderly lines.  They stood in their saris if they were women or shirtless and in pants if they were men.  Even little babies participated  held by their parents.

Everyone waited their turn to get to the front of the line, where statue heads spew out water.  There, before each head, each person prayed, then collected water in their hands and drank it three times, then put their head under the water and ran their hands over their head, three times.  I told Kadek I really wanted to do it to.  She tried to discourage me at first since it would take about an hour to wait in line and I wouldn't be able to see the rice terraces.  But it was the one thing I came to Ubud to do so I didn't mind waiting.

We went to rent a sari for 5000 ruphias, then changed in a changing room, which had both men and women. Likely I had Kadek to help me put on and tie my sari.  I was then off to the water!  I stepped into the pool.  The water wasn't exactly freezing but it was cold.  And the day was a rainy and cool so the whole time I was cold.

 

Waiting in line was an experience I hope to always remember.  It was a very social, and people looked at each other with their arms across their chest to all share the experiences of how cold we all were.  

I even saw a  Western man with an Indonesian boy in his arms.  I'm guessing the boy was adopted and it was very nice to see his dad take hi to experience his culture.  When they got to the fountain water, the dad dipped the boy's head under the water.  The boy was so cute as he shut his eyes and tried to make sense of why his father just did what he did.   

When I got to the front, I washed my face with water I caught in my hand three times, then dipped under the flowing water as I ran my hands over my head three times.  I looked at how many fountains were left and though, "So many!".  It took a few minutes to bath at each fountain.

I got out of the water feeling really happy, really clean, and really cold.  My fingers had gone numb and my finger tips were blue.  But it was such a special experience.  One man in line told me he comes every 6 months to take part in this ceremony.

After the temple, we had satay for dinner.  Then we headed back to Kadek's house.