I talked about ‘melali’ and dropping in spontaneously at people’s houses in the last issue. If you do get into the habit of this, you’ll notice that there is almost always someone at home ‘guarding the fort’, be it mum with the kids, the aunties or grandparents.
This is quite the opposite from many other countries, where, during the day at least, most people are out toiling away to pay off a new SUV, plasma TV or simply trying to keep up repayments on a suffocating mortgage.
It seems a little ironic that the more affluent a society seems to be, the less time people spend at home; all this in spite of the fact that in developed countries, people have a large, spacious house with all the mod cons and home comforts …
Apart from keeping the house safe from intruders, Balinese believe that it is spiritually good to have the premises occupied—an empty place is an invitation for ‘lost’ souls and leyak—the ghoulish demons of the night that masquerade as darting fireballs. Balinese will still continue to put out offerings in an empty house, visiting at least every full moon, new moon, kajeng kliwon, buda kliwon, and often for less significant ritual days. This is because the house has already been blessed and is believed to be watched over by God and also by a pantheon of both benevolent and ‘not so benevolent’ spirits. These must all be respected and—in the case of the more mischievous ones—appeased.
When a non-Hindu buys or contracts land or a house in Bali, it may be a concern to some Balinese that the property is not blessed or that offerings are not put out regularly. So a property owner will usually request to bring around offerings for at least the larger rituals. From my experience this is even the case where the tenants are Hindu Balinese, who may well put out offerings themselves. So if you’re renting, be aware that every few days your landlord may just knock on your gate, offerings in hand; rather than an invasion of your privacy, see it as a free spiritual security!
