The Wedding in Balinese Religion

The “Weda” says that marriage in Hindu is a holly act. There are two
main reasons. Firstly, God bless man and woman to love each other as
what “Dewa Smara” (similar with Adam) and “Dewi Ratih” (similar with
Eve) done in the beginning. Secondly, human have to allow their
ancestor come to reincarnation through the couple so that the soul be
able to reform live in the next born.

Reform to a better and holly live exactly important for every soul than
through reincarnation that rolling times to times they hope at one time
can be in one with God. That is make children is a need in Balinese
couple.

A nice child especially male will be take a main role in the future to
take care parent in live and dead. Soul of parents remain send to God
by his child in a “Ngaben” ceremony. Because marriage is holly, it also
called as a “dharma” act, so the opposite: devours is “adharma” it
mean a sin.

Balinese avoid devours except for principal reason: can not get child.
Sex before marriage is also a sin. Sex is the next need after the
mention above, than follow obligation for wife to joint with the all of
husband family. She left her home and family to joint with the new
one. She now not only love her husband and children, but also love and
take care all of husband’s family especially parent.

In the old Balinese marriage philosophy, wife nearly a server.

Nowadays it is not real, wife and husband are in same level, but wife
obligation still running.

The wedding party some time did as usual, but the have one make it
great and spend much money. Important to know that the wedding has
three conditions: “Bhuta saksi”, “Dewa saksi”, and “Manusa saksi”.

Bhuta saksi is a part of wedding ritual to make a holly marriage; Dewa

saksi is a pray for God blessing, and Manusa saksi is a kind of
knowledgement for people including make a Marriage Act as in
Indonesian law, Act No.: 1/1974.

The Wedding arranged by three parties i.e.: the couple family, the
maker of ritual accessories, and the priest. Priest guide the all ritual
and responsible of it. He has already learned about it and get authority
from his teacher called “Nabe”.
Some one can be a priest after learned everything about Weda and
build a new life in the God way so that he able to lead his follower in a
holly life.

Priest not only guide a ceremony but in fact he has be active in guiding
people to be a good Hindus. The maker of ritual accessories usually are
ladies, some times lead by Priest’s wife.

Ritual accessories called “banten” is a mediation used by priest in his

prayer consists of some leaf, flower, pork, chicken, fruit, etc. Beside, it
means also a gift for God that come from the deepest heart of Hindus.

Preparing ritual accessories almost difficult, need a serious intention to

do and spend much time and money. Modern Hindus always thinking
about this. Idea come first from The Priest, how to make all of ritual
accessories and ceremony simple but not far from Weda.

Some priest already done this; they called as a renewal or reformism

commonly they are the “Pandita” group, but on the other side the old
fashion group namely “Pedanda” do not agree; they called as a
traditional one.

The Pandita group time to time guiding people to learn about Weda
and the ritual know-how in other make it familiar and know well
everything they done. Main aid is to build a modern Hindus that far
from feudalism.

Dhita Sulistya ------

XII IA 4 ------
10 ------
 Dhita Sulistya ------
XII IA 4 ------
10 ------

Building the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting

the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869, it
allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without
navigating around Africa. The canal is owned and maintained by the
Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Under
international treaty, it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace,
by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag."

In the early nineteenth century Napoleons expedition discovered the

remains of the ancient waterways and the idea was sparked anew.
Napoleon was never to see the dream come to fruition though. It was
in 1859, due to the genius of another Frenchman, diplomat and
politician, Ferdinand de Lesseps, that work on the idea began again. A
new waterway joining the Mediterranean and the Red Sea that would
cut down the time to the east enormously and increase safety by
eliminating the need to travel the treacherous southern seas. De
Lesseps spent ten years supervising the digging of the canal which
involved the moving of about 97 million cubic yards of earth.

Having established a base at Port Said, de Lesseps first task was to

build a canal from the Nile to bring fresh drinking water for the 20,000
labourers that were to be employed on the project. Working from North
to South the scheme involved the digging of a 24ft deep channel
connecting up lakes as it went. The Great and Little Bitter Lakes were
joined to the Red Sea and then flooded with sea water and these were
in turn joined with Lake Timsah.

At the height of the operation 80,000 fellaheen, or peasant labourers

were employed , three thousand camels carried drinking water to the
work gangs, but this labour force was gradually replaced with
mechanical dredgers and digging equipment.

In October 1869 the Louise-et-Marie, a French steamer became the

first ship to sail its length, but the official opening was on November
17. This consisted of a sail through of a ceremonial flotilla made up of
ships of almost every major European nation and the event was
attended by representatives of almost every royal family of that
continent.
The total length of the canal is 103 miles, 21 of them through lakes
and the total cost of the project was estimated at 20 million. Although
this was almost twice the original estimate it is but a tiny sum
compared with the value of the canal to world trade.

Suez Canal got a lot of positive response from the public because it
makes transportation between continents of Asia and Africa in time
efficiency, especially in the fields of trade and shipping. Suez Canal as
a shortcut for the mariner.