Bali Religion
Preparations for a cremation ceremony in Seminyak Bali
Seminyak has its fair share of temples, being a dencely packed area. Across from Bintang supermarket, at the end of a gang (alley) is Pura Dalem Kahyangan. This morning the banjar men, including one of my neighbors, were standing outside, preparing bamboo partictions for an upcoming cremation ceremony. In Bali there are 3 main temples in each village, the Pura Puseh (temple in honor of the village founders), Pura Desa (village temple), Pura Dalem (temple of the dead), were cremation ceremonies are held. Just up the street at the junction of Jl. Seminyak and Jl. Dhyana Pura, is Pura Desa Seminyak. The Pura Dalem is always located at the kelod, or ‘unclean’ end of the village.
Date: December 15th, 2006 |
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Hari Raya Kuningan in Bali
Selamat Hari Raya Kuningan. Saturday December 9th is Kuningan, the end of the Galungan celebration, in which ancestors descend to Earth. On this day the Gods and spirits return to heaven. Around Bali, people will be attending ceremonies at their family temple to honor the spirits of their ancestors. Last I got a call from a Balinese friend who was sad, at not being able to go home to East Bali, due to work commitments. The 21st Century and westernizing of the economy, means many Balinese people have to balance a job with cultural / religious activities. This morning the staff at Cafe Seminyak were looking lovely, dressed in sarongs and kebaya’s. One of them asked me where my sarong was. I said it was back home in the closet.
Date: December 9th, 2006 |
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Lesser known Balinese Ceremonies
Exploring the cultural calendar in Bali, means getting to know some of the important Balinese ceremonies. Barrie wrote a good article, on some of the lesser known ceremonies in Bali.
Date: November 30th, 2006 |
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The Bali Aga: The original inhabitants of Bali
Bali is rich in history and tradition. With various waves of migration from Java, the cultural complexity was amplified. One of the stranger examples of things getting twisted is the caste system, whereby descendents of the masses, merchants, warriors & kings, and priests, are indentified by name. The stange part is that 90% of the population fall into the lowest caste, called Sudra. They are also known as ‘jaba’ (outsiders), which is weird, because most of the high caste Balinese came from Java. One group of people who add another dimension to this ‘who are the real Balinese?’ question, are the Bali Aga.
Date: November 29th, 2006 |
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Wetu Telu Muslims celebrate Idul Fitri in Lombok
One of the most interesting religious groups in Indonesia are the Wetu Telu. Basically Muslim, they have their own version of Islam as well as sharing a temple with local Hindu’s. Recently the group celebrated Idul Fitri, the end of the month of Ramadan.
Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
Date: October 31st, 2006 |
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Prasasti Blanjong : Sanur Bali
Prasasti Blanjong is the site of one of the oldest man-made objects in Bali. Today I callled my friend mike who lives in Sanur, to see if he was interested in checking out Prasasti Blanjong. The small temple and shrine and Prasati Blanjong, are located on Jl. Danau Poso, across from the Circle K. There is no entrance fee, or indeed anyone else there. After a 10 meter pathway, you’ll come to a glass enclosed stone pillar, which is 2 meters tall and inscribed with ancient text. The middle section of the pillar is wrapped in cloth, but we did see extracts of the worn inscriptions.
Date: December 13th, 2006 |
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Balinese symbolism explained
Balinese Agama Hindu is the backbone upon which this island’s culture rests. It has mixed elements of native animist beliefs with newer ideas coming from India, starting 2,000-3,000 years ago.
Date: December 6th, 2006 |
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Galungan in Kuta Bali
Galungan is the most important ceremony on the Balinese calendar. Most Balinese people get to go home to their village, to participate in family ceremonies. This morning, I even got an sms from a Balinese friend wishing me health and happiness.
Date: November 29th, 2006 |
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Pura Luhur Uluwatu Bali
Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali’s kayangan jagat (directional temples) and guards Bali from evil spirits from the SW.
Date: November 22nd, 2006 |
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Islam & Mysticism in Indonesia
Indonesia is predomintantly Muslim but underlying that fact are a strong set of locally held beliefs, pre-dating Islam. The Balinese have made some of therse beliefs a part of their Hindu religion. The Muslims, however, have to run a double line, professing belief in Islam, while quielty going about their other proactices. An article in a guide book written by Bill Dalton talks about this.
Date: October 30th, 2006 |
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