Bali wedding Keris

Gustav · 10th February 2010, 08:37 PM

Margaret Wiener, "Visible and invisible realms (power, magic, and colonial conquest in Bali)", page 66 :

"His keris could, in certain contexts, even represent a man: someone who could not attend a meeting could send his keris in his place; a man of rank could marry a low-ranking woman by proxy, using one of his lesser keris. Keris are rather obvious phallic symbols; in marriage rites, the groom still stabs a keris through a small bamboo mat to symbolize the sexual relation between husband and wife even though nowadays his wedding is the only occasion on which a man is still likely to wear a keris."

10th February 2010, 08:37 PM	#12
Gustav Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,273	Margaret Wiener, "Visible and invisible realms (power, magic, and colonial conquest in Bali)", page 66 : "His keris could, in certain contexts, even represent a man: someone who could not attend a meeting could send his keris in his place; a man of rank could marry a low-ranking woman by proxy, using one of his lesser keris. Keris are rather obvious phallic symbols; in marriage rites, the groom still stabs a keris through a small bamboo mat to symbolize the sexual relation between husband and wife even though nowadays his wedding is the only occasion on which a man is still likely to wear a keris." Last edited by Gustav; 10th February 2010 at 09:52 PM.