Sometimes, over Christmas for example, I wonder:Why are shop clerks in Bali required to wear Santa caps or those silly reindeer headbands – even if they have grains of rice pasted on their foreheads, from morning prayers?
What do the Balinese really feel about this rampant Western, holiday-themed, commercialism?
If they’ve never seen an evergreen tree or snow before, what does all of this mean to them?
How much longer will this island retain its Hindu essence..?
Your last question is the one I often wonder about.
That stuff seems so out of context… but I guess it is all about supply and demand.
Peta