Galungan

Today is Galungan, day when dharma defeats anti or not dharma and the spirits of ancestors come to stay ten days till Kuningan. It comes every 210 days. Landlord's son, Wayan made a penjur for our house. See photo of a fancy one off the Internet. Hindus here in Bali go to their temple for a brief Melukat ceremony of purification and cleansing. It's done in groups or individually all day. I'll go at three thirty, walk to Pura Mertasari with a Pejati offering basket with flowers, fruit, a candy bar. Nyoman got it for me. Cost 50,000 rupiah - $3.50. He told me to be sure to put a 50,000 bill in the offering and hand it to the helper at the temple. Then sit and wait till I'm told then go remove my sarong and udeng headband, take the steps into the murky mangrove water (and it's the coldest time of year - low 80s today), submerge, stand before the manku priest who will chant while pouring buckets of water over me, get dressed, go over to in front of the offerings, kneel, offer incense,  get rice stuck on my forehead above my nose, get water sprinkled over my head, tip some that's poured into my hand, get a tridupa three color string tied to my wrist, and walk home drying in the July breeze.