Today in Bali is the beginning of Galungan. Occurring once in every 210 days in the Balinese cycle of days, Galungan marks the beginning of the most important recurring religious ceremony that is celebrated by all Balinese at the same time. During the Galungan period the deified ancestors of the family descend to their former homes. They must be suitably entertained and welcomed, and prayers and offerings must be made for them. For those families who have ancestors that have not yet been cremated but are still buried in the village cemetery, they must make offerings at the graves.
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All in all the Visit Indonesia Year 2008 has been relatively successful albeit less promotion of events for some islands in the archipelago has been somewhat lacking. However, on the island of Bali it has been a screaming success with a multitude of events receiving record number of tourists. And, it’s not over yet. There is still the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival to come and many more but, before that great event we have the Nusa Dua Fiesta 2008 scheduled for October 10-14.
Since the United Nations Climate Change Summit …
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With a motto of “A Celebration of Life”, the great and always interesting Kuta Karnival is on again in October down on the sands along the stretch of Kuta Beach. This is a good one to visit if you are in Bali at he time because there is so much on offer from sunset dances on the beach through to traditional art performances and sports activities as well as the ever popular bazaar of culinary kiosks set up along the full length of the beach for when you get a tad …
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Across Bali today it is Tumpek Uduh. This is a day to offer respect to trees, particularly the coconut palm that are important to the livelihood of the Balinese. In South Bali the trees are dressed in traditional Balinese clothes, complete with a headband, tlie udeng, a kilt-like kamben, and a special scarf, saput, as a belt. Then the tree is hit ceremonially with a hammer to notify it that offerings are nearby and to ask it to produce abundant fruit. Tumpek Uduh falls five weeks later on Saturday of Wariga, the seventh week This day has many alternate names, …
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There is one thing that I encourage all visitors to Bali to do is witness a cremation. Culturally and spiritually inspirational, Balinese cremations are a colourful and, depending on the caste level, an extravaganza to rival any funeral in the world. Naturally, over the decades I have seen many but I was fortunate in the late 80’s to see preparations and then the whole funeral procession and subsequent cremation of a person of Brahma lineage. Respect for and worship of God and ancestors is the basis of the Balinese religion. The combination of Hindu elements makes the whole process a moving experience and one that is not to be missed.
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Burgeoning writers, published writers and those who are just lovers of literature, get your gear together and head to Ubud in a weeks time for the 2008 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. Since its beginning I have only managed to attend one of these great festivals and believe me it is well worth the visit. The creator of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is Janet de Neefe. Who founded two restaurants (Casa Luna and Indus) in Ubud as well as the famous Casa Luna Cooking School. Janet has lived in Bali for more than 20 years. The theme of this year’s Festival is Tri Hita Karana - the Balinese concept of balancing Man, Nature, God.
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Not many visitors to Bali know of the existence of a Chinese temple in Kuta. In fact, when you leave Bali to head to the airport, you travel right past it and it is easily unnoticed. There are a couple of Klentengs (Chinese temples) in Denpasar but they are smaller whereas the Vihara Dharmayana on Jalan Tanjung Mekar is a relatively large temple and patronised by the Chinese community in Kuta. Anybody can enter the temple, look around and take photographs (please do it discreetly so as not to disturb those praying). There are several Bhuddist statues and the whole temple is decorated in the lucky Chinese colour of red. Both my wife Candika and I are Bhuddists and regularly visit the temple for prayer. One of the greatest times to visit this temple is during the week of Chinese New Year. It is indeed a pageantry of colour and friendliness, but the best is that you are welcomed heartily to join in on the celebrations even if you are not a practising Bhuddist.
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Today in Bali it is the start of Galungan. Occurring once in every 210 days in the Balinese cycle of days, Galungan marks the beginning of the most important recurring religious ceremony that is celebrated by all Balinese at the same time. During the Galungan period the deified ancestors of the family descend to their former homes. They must be suitably entertained and welcomed, and prayers and offerings must be made for them. The families who have ancestors that have not yet been cremated, but are still buried in the village cemetery, must make offerings at the graves.
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It’s back again for its third year after two very successful previous years. This fun and cultural events festival highlighting Balinese art and cultural performances will be this year around the area of the Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel on Jl Pantai Segara. But, it’s not only art and culture performances that will be the highlight. There will also be a food bazaar, bonsai and orchid exhibition, contemporary music performances and for the fashion aficionado, a delightful fashion show. Of course there are numerous other activities sure to please all during this five day event. As with the same last year, there will be an international cartoon exhibition, and the popular jukung festival of local village boats. Naturally the music festival will no doubt draw big crowds to the beach and all in all, this promises to be the greatest festival up until now. The kids are never left out of the activities and the kite festival will delight them and no doubt all the adults as well. One part of the festival that I am looking forward to seeing is the photo contest. The theme for the photos have to be centred around the Sanur area and prizes are up for grabs.
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Without a doubt my favourite festival is the Bali Arts Festival and it will be held from June 14 to July 12, and will feature a plethora of local and international performers. This is a wonderful spectacle and a great introduction to Balinese artistic traditions and culture for those who are first-timers to the island. Even for the regulars, it is a festival not to be missed. The events take place throughout each day for an entire month. There will be handicraft exhibitions, cultural performances, music, classical palace dances and also historical exhibitions. What …
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