A Day at the Mosque

We are often invited to different ceremonies of friends....Circumcisions, Thanksgivings, and Weddings being the most common. Today we were invited to a wedding. Usually this consists of arriving...eating...greeting the new couple...then leaving. That simple. Here it is referred to as SMP (Sesudah Makan pulang)...(eat and go home).
      This time it was different. We were actually invited to witness the actual ceremony in the mosque.

      When we arrived, a tent was set up in the street in front of the mosque. We were greeted by family members of the bride.

 Once inside the tent, we greeted the Bride as she also waited under the tent for her Groom and his family to arrive. We took this photo with our good friends waiting with the bride. My friend looks much better wearing here head covering than most white women.

After the groom arrived..the couple and their families entered the mosque. It wasn't much on formal ceremony. They just took off their shoes and walked into the mosque. Many times, the bride is not allowed to enter for the ceremony due to certain times of the month.

 Let me first say...since we are Non-Muslims, it was highly unlikely we would be allowed inside the mosque. We were expecting to be asked to wait outside. To the contrary...Our good friends (family of the bride...also American Christians) and Rich and I were escorted into the Mosque. Rich entered through the men's door and I, with the women, entered in through the women's door.

Inside, I was encouraged by the other women to move closer to get better photos. I saw the couple, along with their immediate families, sitting in the front on the floor. All the other male friends and family were sitting on the floor in the main area. Rich sat with the men. While we, the women, sat in a divided area off to the back and side of the men. There was a green curtain separating the areas for the men and women.

We were surprised to witness the bride being allowed to speak at her own wedding. Normally the promises and agreements are only conducted between the father of the bride and the groom. In this situation, the Bride asked the Groom to marry her and asked her father to allow her to marry the man. After the ceremony was over, we had the opportunity to meet the grooms father. We couldn't pass up the chance to get a photo. It is obvious by the fathers clothing that he has met the Muslim requirement of completing a trip to Mecca.

Then it was time for SMP. The men had a food line and the women had a separate food line.

After eating, We went through the reception line, had our photo taken with the couple and were on our way home. I have to say this was one of the most memorable weddings I've been honored to attend.

NYEPI (THE DAY OF SILENCE)

 

 

 

BOO!

 

 

        No It's not Halloween. It is Nyepi...The biggest Hindu Holy Day. Even though we live on a predominantly Muslim Island, we do have a fairly large amount of Balinese Hindu in the main city area.
        As you know from one of my latest blogs, the Muslim and the Hindu don't always live together in total harmony. Harmony is what Nyepi is all about. The Hindu pray and release the evil in their own spirits the day before Nyepi and then parade these Ogoh Ogoh, paper mache monsters, around the city. This is so their evil spirits will inhabit the Ogoh Ogoh. The following day, Nyepi, is the day of silence. The Balinese sit quietly in their homes; no cooking fires, no electricity being used, no oil lamps or other forms of activities whatsoever. On this day of silence the evil spirits are allowed to do anything they want without the humans interrupting their fun. By doing this the Hindu believe they create harmony so that for the rest of the year they are allowed to live in peace from the interruptions of the evil.
        In Bali, the day of silence is "THE LAW' Even if you are not Hindu you are not allowed to have lights visible from your home. On Our island, if you don't live in a Balinese neighborhood, life goes on as normal. Things can get a bit sticky if you are in a mixed neighborhood. Tensions have been a bit high in our mixed neighborhood since December so we will wait and see what happens tomorrow.
        The following are a few photos of the Ogoh Ogohs parading around the main street.

This man is going around to pick up plastic water bottles and glass to resale as recyclable trash. Today his family will eat well.

The black and white checked sarungs that these men are wearing is to protect them from the evil because the colors symbolize the harmony of the evil and good spirits.

This is a statue of a Hindu priest battling the evil spirits.

Muslim band groups were hired to play music along the parade route in between the Ogoh Ogoh.

We have lived here for 10 years and this is the first time I have seen such a human form of an Ogoh Ogoh. And it's a woman no less.

The smaller children are enlisted to carry the smaller Ogoh Ogoh around the streets on the bamboo platforms.

Head out on the highway...Sort of

After 10 years of living in a country that has billions of motor bikes as the preferred mode of transportation, the time has finally come for me to step (or ride) out of my comfort zone. Thanks to a very dear and persistent friend, I had my first motor bike lesson on Valentines Day. (She is such a sweetheart)

 Please notice all the fluffy tall grass that we chose for my landing zone just in case I took a fall. I soon found out that riding on the back of the bike, knowing that someone else much more experienced is in control, is much easier than driving the bike. I guess this is a great example of how I feel about God being in control of my life.

Take notice of the terrified look on my face. This was the simplest of bikes to try to learn on. It is automatic. Right hand is go and left hand is stop. I was so concerned about what little rock was in my path that I kept my head down and looked right in front of me. By doing that, I missed seeing the big hole coming my way.  I think this a lot like my life too. I am so preoccupied with the small things that happen every day and then fail to see the big picture that God wants me to see.

Once I had a few practice rounds in the grass, my friend decided it was time to try the road. Thank goodness there was very little traffic. Right turns...left turns, up and down hills I went.  With each lap around the block, my confidence was building. And then... I hit a bump and my smile and pride faded away quicker than I could let out a scream. I quickly recovered without falling and knew I had learned another valuable lesson....I should never feel so confident that I think I can do it all without a few bumps along the way. 

That is why God is ever watchful over his children...He knows we are scared to try new things, but like my friend, encourages us to move past our fear. He knows we may not be able to focus enough to see the big picture, so He stays focused for us and guides us along the right paths. And, He knows we will still stumble, especially when we start thinking we can do alone. I thank God He is with me always and is ready to pick me up when I stumble.