Full moon prayer time in Bali

It's full moon in Bali...
It's 5.40pm and 6 of us from our group squeeze into the minivan for the 15 minute journey along the coast to the temple. Our hotel staff told us to go at sunset to see the ceremonies at Pulak Sari Temple on this October full moon, the most sacred on the Balinese calendar.

There is full pandemonium as we arrive.
Normally serene and quiet, this temple by the sea has been descended upon by a seething mass of people, all anxious to bear there offerings of fruit, cookies and rice and receive the blessings from
the temple priests.

We walk with many locals up the ancient stone steps and enter the temple grounds, taking sunset pictures over
the ocean through the beautiful stone carved walls. We are the only
foreigners, yet the locals don't seem to mind and gawk at us as much
as we admire them, their beauty, their elegant costumes of lace tops
and sarongs for the women and special temple day hats and sarongs and
smart shirts for the men. All look cool and comfortable while we
sweat in the humidity.

Inside the grounds there is an inner
area where 100s of Balinese are sitting, awaiting their turn for a
blessing. We look on from the outside, wondering if it's OK to take
pictures. As I am watching, a lovely lady walks up to me and in
perfect English asks if we would like to join her and her family for
prayers!

Would we ever!
With much gratitude, we follow her and
her drop-dead gorgeous 20 year-old daughter, Didi, into the inner
temple area. They graciously give us flowers to pray with and invite
us to sit with them. It turned out they had driven 60kms to be here,
as this special ceremony only happens once a year.
Everyone is chattering and excited.
Very different from our church atmosphere. Suddenly the gamelan
orchestra starts playing loudly and a priest chants over the loud
speaker.
“Om, shanti, shanti...”
We follow suit as the family bow their
heads and place their hands together. Time to pray.

I am just starting my gratitudes to God
for this wonderful journey and auspicious moment when it's all over!
Maybe I am long-winded, but it seemed awfully quick to me, maybe 2
minutes or so!
After that, the priest, all dressed in
white for purity, comes to each person in turn and sprinkles holy
water on them with some kind of stick that he dipped into a bowl of
holy water. First the water is sprinkled on the head, then 3 times
onto the open hands, to be licked, then once more on the head.
Finally some white rice is applied to the 3rd eye point
and the blessing is complete.
The whole process took about 25
minutes.

The gamelan orchestra starts up again
with much enthusiasm as people file out of the inner sanctuary,
depositing their offerings on the altar as they leave.
By now it has turned dark and lights
are on. We have hardly noticed, so transfixed are we by the devotion
of the people and by this ancient ritual of prayer and coming
together of community that meshes the very fabric of Balinese life.

Slowly, silently, we too file out,
passing hundreds more walking up the stone steps as we descend.
We return to the hotel inspired, opened
and hugely grateful for this magnificent experience.