You won’t see a white dress. In this one post, you won’t see a “walking down the aisle” moment, but you will learn so much about traditional Balinese wedding rituals. Bali Villas R Us explains what makes a traditional wedding in Bali a unique celebration as romantic and sacred as your classic wedding encounters worldwide.

In a wedding, two souls are merged into one by an oath of everlasting love. The “tie the knot” moment is always celebrated merrily and in Bali, this might take up to three days. Balinese people feel that the marriage is not only between the bride and groom but with the families of both the bride and groom.

This is also a welcoming ceremony for the bride to move into her husband’s family. In Bali, once they’re married, they continue living with the groom’s parents, or else if a family only has one daughter, things can go around.

This is what we called  ‘nyentana’, a situation where the family’s bride would carry a procession to ask the groom’s family for their son. They believe that the lineage of a family has to be passed down through rebirth. As a result, if the groom’s family only has one son, it will be difficult to follow the tradition of nyentana as the groom’s family is also unable to fulfill the request of the bride’s family for the same reasons.

Traditional Balinese Wedding Involves Marrying Two Families

The newlyweds wear grand wedding attire in traditional Balinese weddings, loaded with golden headgear and accessories, lavish conventional clothing, and heavy makeup. Together they make Payas Agung or the Grand Makeover. It used to be meant for merely nobility but today as long as you can afford it, it’s better to put Payas Agung forward on your wonderful momentum. The attire, moreover, symbolizes festivity and felicity.

The first day of the ceremony begins with the procession of Ngendek. This is where the two families officially met and decided on the wedding arrangement. Of course, the ceremony will be informed beforehand by the groom’s family. By mutual consent, the families will decide on the good days to perform the next wedding rituals Ngidih and Mekala-kalaan where the groom’s family asks permission to marry the bride and the peak of the ceremony.

On the second day, they conduct the procession of Ngidih. If translated in English, ngidih means ‘to ask’. The whole extended family of the groom and bride will come along to witness the ritual.

Unlike modern weddings, the exchange of wedding rings happens on this day. The bride carries out her last goodbye to her house temple.

This indicates that she will carry no more responsibilities to participate in religious rites with her family. It is the most emotional event for a Balinese woman as she adapts to a new environment.

Later on, the groom’s family takes the bride to welcome her to his house. This will be performed at his family’s house entrance first by the procession of Byekawon led by a priest. Afterward, they commence

a prayer to the family temple and face the ancestors they believe are residing in the temple.

The Peak Ceremony in Traditional Balinese Wedding

The peak ceremony begins early in the morning. The newlyweds follow through mekala-kalaan procession which is the most vital in a traditional Balinese wedding. Their union will be witnessed by their God, ancestors, and both family members.

In addition to the rituals, they will be guided by a Hindu priest to cleanse their negative energy. In English, kala means ‘energy’ denotes an official marriage and cleansing of two souls to initiate a happy family in Bali. The reception for the invitees will be done in the late afternoon until evening.

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Besides the rituals, we often see a banquet in a traditional Balinese wedding where the guests are invited to have meals prepared by the newlyweds’ families on the second and third day. Wedding is such a beautiful ritual in every corner of the globe and it’s not only a new union for the two souls, but it’s also where all families work together hand in hand.