The island of Bali is well known as The Island of God, The Island of a Thousand Temples, and The Island of Offerings and Ceremonies. One of the important ceremonies of Bali is Manusa Yadnya, also known as the Human ceremony, a tradition that honors different stages of human development, such as marriage.
In the past, during the Kingdom Era of Bali, there were three ways to get married: marriage by kidnapping, marriage by arrangement, and marriage by love. Today, marriage is celebrated for three days after the formal ceremony. The celebration takes place at the groom’s home. Before the celebration, husband and wife are forbidden to leave their family compounds. During the celebration, families come together to make many kinds of offerings, such as pebaya kaonan (an offering made of palm leaf and specific ingredients designed to keep evil spirits away from the celebration.) Three seeds from the broom plant are offered (symbolizing the couple’s ability to overcome all manner of life’s obstacles,) and three cooking pots are provided (to express a wish of harmony for the couple.)
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