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Making
the daily offerings in the family compound
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The
rhythm of the day in a typical Balinese family compound is ruled by
the rice harvest, governed by tradition and watched over by the gods.
Several generations usually live together in the compound, which is
laid out in accordance with esoteric Balinese principles and surrounded
by a mud or brick wall. The holiest part of the land (that which faces
the mountains) is reserved for the various shrines honouring the gods
and ancestral spirits.
Beyond
this enclosed area are a series of other pavilions or rooms used as
sleeping and living quarters, with the kitchen or paon and the bathroom
near the least auspicious part of the property-that closest to the
sea. Farthest of all from the holy area one finds the family pigsty
(there is always at least one occupant being fattened up for the next
important feast) and the rubbish pit.
Flowering
trees and shrubs (a source of blooms for the daily offerings) are
dotted about the compound, while the gardens at the back often contain
several fruit trees: papayas, bananas (their leaves essential for
wrapping food) and coconut palms, among others.
The
women are always occupied, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, sweeping
and preparing offerings. Older women often take the daily offerings
around the compound, setting them before the various shrines before
anyone has their first meal of the day, as well as performing other
tasks, such as feeding the pigs, weaving offerings, making special
rice cakes and keeping an eye on the youngest children.
The old men who
are no longer fit for work in the fields pass the day slicing strips
of bamboo and shaping them into baskets, repairing tools or utensils,
and doing odd jobs about the yard. When nothing remains to be done,
or they feel like taking a break, they wander off to a nearby warung
(simple local store) for a cup of coffee and a chat with friends.
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