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(From The Jakarta Post)
Byline: Ni Luh Dian Purniawati, Contributor, Gilimanuk, West Bali
It was a beautiful day and a large plastic tent was erected on the Gilimanuk beach, some 130 kilometers west of Denpasar.
Folded stainless steel chairs and wooden tables were lined up under the shady canopy, in anticipation of the senior government officials and religious leaders who would soon arrive at the beach.
Thousands of villagers already crowded the shoreline, eagerly waiting for the Petik Laut ceremony to begin. Their happy chatter was complemented by the lively sound of a gamelan orchestra, with echoes of both Javanese and Arabic rhythms.
In Bali the gamelan is a popular instrument and if you don't play it, you surely listen to it. Indeed many are skilled in elaborate dances to accompany the gamelan, and if the Javanese/Arabic sound was a little unusual for Bali, it was enticing all the same.
Gilimanuk fishing village is reminiscent of coastal areas in Central and East Java. The village has a population of around 1,200. Most of the villagers are fishermen, who originally came from Java and have resided in the village since the l950s.