When You Believe

Religious rituals and praying ceremonies are fervently observed and proudly practised in Bali. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of temples on the island, all extremely well kept and extensively decorated with intricate carvings and wood works. Walking along the street in the morning, there would be a lot of colorful offerings of rice, sweets, flowers and incense lining the sidewalk. The locals go to the temple to pray early in the morning before starting their days. Such is the devotion of the Balinese to their religion.

Early in the last evening of my stay, I heard some commotions outside my hotel room. I went out to the porch/balcony (I stayed on the ground floor) to check. Outside, next to the building was this narrow strip of land and there was a shrine erected towards the back of the building. There were almost the whole hotel staff there, dressing mostly in white, sitting or kneeling down on the ground, holding the flowers and incense, praying. In front of the shrine was a table filled with more offerings: a roasted pig, towers of fruits, flowers. A priest presided over the worshippers, chanting mantras and splashing holy water.

I stuck around to take some pictures, trying to capture the solemnness of the ceremony. Through the lense, I saw absolute devotion, resoluteness and faith on their faces as they prayed, with their eyes closed, their closed palms placed upon their chests. They prayed, surrendering themselves to God. The serenity in the air was both powerful and comforting at the same time, even to a skeptic like me.

At this moment, I'm not particularly religious. I envy the Balinese's devotion.