Balinese youth get wet and steamy

BALI – Dozens of Balinese singles locked lips in a steamy kissing festival yesterday that ended with village priests dumping buckets of water over the couples to douse their passions.

Locals believe the festival, held yearly in a small village on the Indonesian tourist island, ensures the good health of those taking part and prevents bad luck hitting the village. The ceremony, which dates back to the late 19th century, took place even as some Islamic lawmakers in Indonesia moved to ban public kissing and punish it with five-year prison terms.But in the village of Sesetan yesterday, the only debate was on how long participants should kiss for – not whether they were breaching morals on the island, which is a Hindu enclave in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.Around 70 young men and women dressed in traditional sarongs prayed in the local temple before parading in lines through the street and choosing a partner.As a gamelan orchestra chimed in the background and with hundreds of cheering locals and foreign visitors looking on, they kissed for around 15 seconds before priests stepped in, soaking them with buckets of water.- Nampa-APThe ceremony, which dates back to the late 19th century, took place even as some Islamic lawmakers in Indonesia moved to ban public kissing and punish it with five-year prison terms.But in the village of Sesetan yesterday, the only debate was on how long participants should kiss for – not whether they were breaching morals on the island, which is a Hindu enclave in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.Around 70 young men and women dressed in traditional sarongs prayed in the local temple before parading in lines through the street and choosing a partner.As a gamelan orchestra chimed in the background and with hundreds of cheering locals and foreign visitors looking on, they kissed for around 15 seconds before priests stepped in, soaking them with buckets of water.- Nampa-AP