A real clash of two cultures occurred in Bali. A tourist was annoyed by the loud music from the neighboring house and tried to stop it or at least turn it down, but he had no chance. Firstly, live music is difficult to make quieter, and secondly, stopping it was absolutely impossible for a very important spiritual reason.
The fact is that traditional music accompanied an important Balinese ritual joged bumbung — a ceremony celebrating a child's three-month milestone. A video appeared online featuring a heated discussion between the foreigner and one of the participants of the ritual.
Although a verbal exchange occurred between the parties, neighbors and those present ensured that no physical contact took place between the arguers.
“He really complained and asked until what time the music would play because the noise annoyed him. Fortunately, it did not come to blows — after the conversation, he returned to his villa,” said Utari Laksmi, the mother of the child and the ceremony organizer.
She assumes that the dissatisfaction arose from the tourist's lack of knowledge about local customs.
According to the organizers, they did not expect the recording to go viral: initially, the video was just filmed by members of an art group from Tabanan.
“Apparently, he didn't know what was happening; it was unusual for him to see such a noisy event in a home yard, so he reacted sharply. Tourists vary: some are interested in learning traditions, while others are sensitive to it,” Utari described the incident with understanding.
Local authorities sent a community police officer just in case to ensure the situation remains calm and the conflict does not escalate into a real altercation. Eventually, the ceremony organizers compromised with the foreigner and shortened the performance duration. This is undoubtedly a rare event, showing that some Balinese also understand that ceremonies, despite their sacredness and importance, can still be inconvenient for tourists.
“We told him that one more dancer would perform — and that would be it, this was around ten in the evening. We continued, but no later than midnight, and explained to the authorities that there was no conflict,” Utari concluded.
Certainly, Balinese customs are not to everyone's liking: they can be quite loud and often hinder road traffic, yet they are part of what creates that unique Balinese vibe. Moreover, disrespecting rituals and local traditions can indeed lead to deportation. In summary, enjoy the island, but remember that we are guests here.
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