Pesta
on Really Out There Experience (Indonesia), 31/Oct/2009 15:34, 34 days ago
30 October 2009Rote might not have any pubs, night clubs or actually anywhere that opens much after 20:30 but it makes up for this with parties. I have lost count of the number I have attended. A birthday, confirmation, wedding, funeral are all an excuse to hold a party. The invitation for a wedding will generally arrive just a couple of days in advance– well your diary will not have filled up yet will it?During the day the extended family will have been very busy. Tarpaulins will have been erected in an open area outside the house– often in the road; causing it to be closed. Plastic chairs are put out in rows. An elaborate dias erected with lots of plastic flowers and flashing lights. There will be at least one large sound system erected. These will often be over 6 feet tall and almost as wide and have probably been removed from a bemo for the evening– at least at the party you are not in the confined space of a bemo so the booming base is not quite so invasive. Hugh amounts of food will also have had to be cooked.For me the evening start by gathering with the other staff who are going to the partyabout 15 - 30 minutes after it was due to start. We then all pile into an ambulance and set out for which ever part of Baa the party is being held at.On arrival at the party you give a very limp handshake to the hosts who are waiting at the gate then place an envelope of money into a box and more to sit in one of the rows of chairs. The speeches will be in full swing but eventually they will draw to a close and we get invited up to have some food– this is done in a very orderly way with each row directed, in turn, to a table of food. After the food everyone goes up to shake hands with all the important family members and then there are two options – go home or stay for the dancing and drinking.Dances are generally quite formulated and many of them are along the Western line dancing style. However unlike in the West there are often more men dancing than women. There is also no problem with a group of men dancing together. There will be a quite dark place somewhere with a group of men drinking the local spirit - sopi. The party can easily go onto 03:00 and sometimes later than that.