New Years' Balinese style

The first time I experienced new years eve in bali was a few years ago. I was living at a resort here. There was a festive meal planned with fireworks on the beach at midnight. The gardener was responsible for the fireworks. I remember at 11:45 p.m. that he lit them and the owner of the resort was so angry and shocked. How could you light fireworks if it is not midnight?! The Balinese gardener did not respond. I too thought it was a bit strange but didn't think much about it. I love fireworks at all times, so I was happy in any case.

This time I am living with a Balinese family. The general tone of child rearing here is that if the child requests something, the parents fulfill it. "I want firecrackers". So you go buy firecrackers. " I want firecrackers again today". So you go and buy again the following day. From the beginning of December the little shops all over the country have added Chinese fireworks to their knick knacks. So each day you start hearing firecrackers going off, during the day, the night, whenever.

At first I was in shock that in the middle of the afternoon they were lighting the fireworks. I tried to convince the 4 year old boy, in my broken Indonesian, that it is much more beautiful at night when you can see the colors in the sky and it lights up. He was not interested. Light the fireworks now or I have a tantrum. I was in favor of the tantrum, just so that we could enjoy the fireworks at night. But the rest of the family said "if he wants to light them now, we light it now."  After a few feeble attempts each day to convince him to wait until  sundown, I gave up and joined the fireworks during the light of day. Each day the amount of fireworks increased, as did the price, and the louder booming sounds and higher flaring firecrackers. The kids ran the show without any adult supervision. I was surprised that no one was concerned about any possible danger or harm to the children. I took it upon myself to supervise, warning them to move to the side, or quickly throw it down on the ground so it wouldn't go off in their hand….but just like the little children are confident and capable at using sharp knives without adult supervision,  so too with fireworks.

And now we had arrived at the day before new years eve. The 15 year old came home on her motorbike from a trip to the local kiosk, with an additional treat; two new years horns. I couldn't believe it. Two sparkly long loud horns blaring into the peace and quiet of the forest surrounding our home. Two older women patients had come to see the father, a doctor, and were waiting on the porch for his arrival. Meanwhile the 4 and 7 year old were blowing the horns non-stop. As much as I like fireworks, that is how much I hate loud horns blaring in my ears. I  kept waiting for one of the Balinese adults to say something….to tell them to go further away, or not blow so loud, or not to do it right in front of them, or in their ears….but everyone just smiled or laughed…children playing…ha ha ha. I was not laughing and was ready to smash the horn if he dare came next to my ear and thought it was funny to loudly blow it.  And I told him so. Even when his father did arrive he just mimicked the loud blaring noise and laughed and invited the old women patient in for her check-up. I couldn't believe there would be another 24 hours of horn blowing until new years eve. I had to stop myself from "accidentally" stepping on the horns as I swept the floor in the evening.

We had reached the afternoon of new years eve with the biggest fireworks awaiting to be lit. One of the older neighborhood kids came by and saw the fireworks and suggested we light them already. Ugh. I couldn't believe it! I quietly turned to the 4 year old, who was the head of the fireworks, and asked if he doesn't prefer to wait until it is dark and we can see the flames and colors. He said " the boy wants to see it now, so we will light them now." And so it was…loud noises, but no colors or flames in the afternoon sunshine….but all were happy…except me.

We live in the forest area on the outskirts of the village, but could hear the booming fireworks going even stronger on the eve of the new year. The cousins were rushing home from our place before dusk to see the fireworks. I too wanted to see them, and asked where it would be. She said that in front of the temple. I was a bit surprised that the temple would be putting on a new years eve fireworks show, so I asked my friend if we can go there too. He said that hindus are forbidden to use the fireworks and that the temple is not putting on a display. I realized that it is similar to the jews in Israel, who have their own calendar and don't really celebrate the chrisitan new year, but who somehow get hold of fireworks too and light them.

As the evening went on and the booming was non-stop I decided to go into the village to try and see them. Sure enough they were being shot left and right all along the road by all the kids as soon as it was dark, around 7 p.m. it made me laugh how everyone was busy lighting the fireworks for days already, I asked if this is it? Is this how the Balinese celebrate the new year? He said that now it is just the kids lighting them off, but from about eleven till midnight it will be non stop by the teenagers and young adults. I laughed, remembering how the gardener had lit them at 11;45 and was scolded….Westerners associate new years eve with midnight, while the Balinese are just busy having a good old time for a month already. With  the trees surrounding my house I couldn't really see any of the fireworks going off before midnight, even though I tried walking along the road a bit.  I remembered that the Balinese believe that from midnight till two thirty in the morning is when the spirits can roam around, and the residents try and respect that and are not in their way, but fast asleep. I wondered whether to be my old independent confident invincible self and just hangout after midnight on the road alone, trying to get a glimpse of the multitude of fireworks going off….but decided not to play with fire….and better just go back inside and not take a chance of "bumping into anyone…"

When I finally fell asleep, i was awakened by big booms at one thirty in the morning…I had to giggle how there was no correlation between the fireworks and the moment of the new year. And at six in the morning until now, almost midnight again, on new years day, they are still shooting off the fireworks. Some people drove around honking their motorbike horns today. The marketplace was empty this morning at 4 a.m. even though it is usually busy. Possibly some of the Balinese couples had gotten together at someones house and the men were drinking while the women played cards, and now were sleeping in. In the larger tourist cities in the south it is much more westernized with fireworks that say "happy new years" and dance parties are popular.

I know I am becoming more like the locals since it seems more and more sensible to light fireworks for a whole month, all day and night, instead of just at midnight on new years eve! Why not?