A romantic or sexual gesture is usually done in private, possibly somewhere hidden and dark. But on Wednesday afternoon, dozens of youths in Banjar Kaja, Sesetan, Denpasar, Bali, hug and kiss each other on the street and even more people stood by and watched. This is the Omed-Omedan celebration.
At least 100 youths in Banjar Kaja participated in this traditional celebration called the Omed-Omedan on the Sesetan street. This traditional celebration takes place a day after the Hindu Seclusion Day and is an attraction not only for locals but for foreign tourists too.
Can this tradition continue if the Anti-pornography law is ratified? Some Balinese culture observers are concerned that the Omed-Omedan will be seen as porn and be banned. Pande Wayan Sutedja Neka, the pioneer of Indonesia's first private art museum, and also Made Wianta, a famous artist, both expressed concerns that the law might drag down Omed-Omedan and maybe other aspects of Balinese culture and arts too.
"We have to preserve it on one side, but on the other we might be breaking the law," stated Made Wianta, who also represented Indonesia in the Binalle Arts arena in Italy.
Pande explained that the hugging and kissing are mandatory in the procession. He expects the Bali government to be able to preserve this culture.
The hugging and kissing
The hugging and kissing part of the event can only be participated by single men and women who are still virgins, between 17 to 30 years old, and only those from Banjar Kaja. The men line up on the north of the street, the women on the south, and the two lines are about 25 meters apart. All the participants wear white t-shirts that say "Omed-Omedan."
On the left and right of the lines are the audience, which usually also includes some foreigners fussing with their camera to capture this exotic scene, and also the committee for the event who are supposed to manage the whole proceeding.
The two lines then meet in the middle and then they kiss the opposite sex.
The 'action' must continue until the committee gives them the cue to stop. The cue is when the committee members start spraying water on the participants. Some couples though are quite persistent and they continue to kiss even after three pails of water have been showered over them. The foreign tourists can also be quite persistent to take pictures, even risking their camera getting splashed.
I Gusti Ngurah Oka, an elder at Puri Sesetan, emphasized that the event must occur annually. There was one time during the New Order when the event was banned, but he claimed that it caused troubles and diseases to spread.
"If this event is banned we'd have nothing else to replace this obligation." (Jodhi/Antara/C17-09)
Source: http://english.kompas.com
At least 100 youths in Banjar Kaja participated in this traditional celebration called the Omed-Omedan on the Sesetan street. This traditional celebration takes place a day after the Hindu Seclusion Day and is an attraction not only for locals but for foreign tourists too.
Can this tradition continue if the Anti-pornography law is ratified? Some Balinese culture observers are concerned that the Omed-Omedan will be seen as porn and be banned. Pande Wayan Sutedja Neka, the pioneer of Indonesia's first private art museum, and also Made Wianta, a famous artist, both expressed concerns that the law might drag down Omed-Omedan and maybe other aspects of Balinese culture and arts too.
"We have to preserve it on one side, but on the other we might be breaking the law," stated Made Wianta, who also represented Indonesia in the Binalle Arts arena in Italy.
Pande explained that the hugging and kissing are mandatory in the procession. He expects the Bali government to be able to preserve this culture.
The hugging and kissing
The hugging and kissing part of the event can only be participated by single men and women who are still virgins, between 17 to 30 years old, and only those from Banjar Kaja. The men line up on the north of the street, the women on the south, and the two lines are about 25 meters apart. All the participants wear white t-shirts that say "Omed-Omedan."
On the left and right of the lines are the audience, which usually also includes some foreigners fussing with their camera to capture this exotic scene, and also the committee for the event who are supposed to manage the whole proceeding.
The two lines then meet in the middle and then they kiss the opposite sex.
The 'action' must continue until the committee gives them the cue to stop. The cue is when the committee members start spraying water on the participants. Some couples though are quite persistent and they continue to kiss even after three pails of water have been showered over them. The foreign tourists can also be quite persistent to take pictures, even risking their camera getting splashed.
I Gusti Ngurah Oka, an elder at Puri Sesetan, emphasized that the event must occur annually. There was one time during the New Order when the event was banned, but he claimed that it caused troubles and diseases to spread.
"If this event is banned we'd have nothing else to replace this obligation." (Jodhi/Antara/C17-09)
Source: http://english.kompas.com
