Congratulations to my friend Komang! I saw him for the first time today in two or three months, and he informed me of the birth of his first child, a little girl. He mentioned that she will be named in a traditional ceremony at the age of three months, and I hope to be invited for this ritual.
At first, I was momentarily surprised at his announcement of a baby already three weeks old. After all, we attended his wedding reception on April 4 (a very auspicious day for weddings, when half the island of Bali's population seemed to be getting married!). How many months it that? That was fast!
It is not at all unusual for couples to marry when already pregnant in Indonesia. The two weddings I have attended in the past year in Indonesia both featured a (discreetly) pregnant bride. The bride of a wedding I attended in the USA was not yet pregnant, but she hopes to be soon.
There is a striking cultural difference here, as it's still a bit taboo for couples in America to get pregnant before they get married. It isn't considered the natural order of things.
On the other hand, it seems that there is an accepted practice of "testing things out" before the commitment is made in Indonesia. Marriage is much about making families, after all. What if a family cannot be made between a couple, for whatever reason, and they've already gotten married? Hmmm...
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