RICE CULTURE

Before any work is done in the ricefields, an expedition composed of the kliang, a priest (pemangku) , and four or five subak members goes to the holy sources of water such as Lake Batur, , Besakih in the Gunung Agung. They take offerings with the to gain the goodwill of the deities of the lake or of the sacred spring. Some water is brought back in a bamboo contain (sudjang) wrapped in a new cloth and hung with strings kepeng, topped by a bunch of beautiful mottled red and green andong leaves for decoration.

At the return of the expedition the sudjang is deposited on a altar in the temple of the subak. It is believed that the deities the holy water are embodied in the container, and a feast (mapag) is given in honour of the divine guests. To entertain them so that they will not leave, the subak members perform dances and burn incense in braziers.

The fields are sprinkled with holy water and the rest is poured into the common canal of the subak so that all the fields may benefit by it. The feast over, the necessary repairs are made, with more offerings so that the water will flow through the proper channels. Then the water is let to flood the dry soil, and all subak members meet again to take a vow not to steal from one another. The land is cleansed with a great offering to the evil spirits and cockfights are staged to sati! their thirst for blood.

When planting-time arrives, the land is ploughed over and over again, and harrowed to incorporate with the soil the weeds a rice straw that serve as fertilizer. In some places the land effectively ploughed, in a spirit of festivity and sport, in great bull races (megrumbungan) held before a new crop is planted the expense involved in entertaining the many guests with a banquet has made the bull races rare nowadays, but they are still to be seen in North Bali, where there are many rich peasants. Besides the amusement derived from the race, the chance for gambling, and the utilitarian ploughing of the field, the feast is considered a good investment, because the gods, pleased by the gay and colourful spectacle, are expected to repay the donor with a plentiful harvest.

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