Ceremony by the Sea

A ceremony called melasti is underway in this scene, taking place during Galungan, the Balinese New Year, when tall offerings of bamboo and palm leaf (penjor) are made by the men of the household. Here, two of these offerings, gently swaying in the wind, frame the event conducted by the sea. The arched top represents the sacred mountain, Agung, and the “body” of the offering hanging down symbolizes the river, flowing from the mountain to the sea. Twin birds soar above. A malasti procession journeys to a source of water—the sea, river, or a holy spring—for a ritual purification of sacred objects. All those who participate are said to escort (ngiring) something or someone of higher status, be it a sacred offering, a statue, a vessel of holy water, or a temple priest (pemangku), seen here dressed in white. Gesturing toward a circle of seated men and women, the priest holds the petals of a flower, and with it he sprinkles holy water (amrita). Female dancers, on the left, return from the temple shrine performing the sacred Rejang in a line, while to the right, their male counterparts dance Baris Pendet. Balancing out the circle of sound, their collective energies provide protection from the chaotic influences of Ratu Gede Mecaling (“The Great Fanged Lord”), the demon king from the nearby island of Nusa Penida, painted here by the artist in shadow. A man in a sailboat beckons toward a young boy, who runs into the shallow water, fingers outstretched, shocked to see the giant fish plunging beneath the waves. This artist almost always includes a “key” to his compositions, usually a frog, here seen gazing at a distinctive three-pronged flower which may allude to the complex tripartite composition unfolding.