A Traditional Birthday Party in Kampung Bugis, Singaraja Bali

Birthday parties are a cause for excitement around the world. Here in Kampung Bugis, it is the same. Children look forward to their birthday parties and the parties of their friends and classmates. This past year – the year of Covid-19 – the excitement is still there, even if we have had to make a few changes. Because of a year of online, at home, schooling, we had to skip the party for classmates, but we still held a party for the neighborhood kids.

Both Zoey and Zander (aka Space Boy) have their birthdays in February, so we have a joint party for them. Easier and less expensive than having individual parties. The preparations for a birthday party here involve a lot of preparations: decorating, sending out invitations and most importantly, cooking. This slice-of-life video takes a look at the preparations and the party itself. Cooking involves a lot of people, although the majority of work is done by my wife, the rest of the family and a neighbor worked together to prepare the food that goes into the party bags that each child gets at the end of the party.

Because we are a Muslim family, the parties start and end with a prayer. This year we cut short the usual games that are often a part of the party. Kids filter in on their own time schedule, some early others on the famous Indonesian rubber time (jam karet). And then the party gets started. Everyone had a great time as usual.

Don't forget to follow the rules, be polite even if you find some of the protocols burdensome, and remember to be kind to someone today. Don't wear a mask and you will be fined or you will be reported to immigration. Don't forget to subscribe if you want notification on new videos about Bali, Singaraja or anthropology. Thanks for viewing.

Time Stamp:

00:00 Introduction
04:13 Preparations
09:37 Waiting to Start the Party
10:28 Party Time
11:54 Birthday Songs in Indonesian and English
14:02 Cutting the Cake
15:07 Feeding the Elders
18:11 Closing Prayer
19:37 Time to Go Home
19:56 Opening Presents
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