Bali's Day of Silent

Every religion or culture all over the world has their own way to define and celebrate their new year. For example, the Chinese have the Imlek year and to celebrate it, have, as they called it in their own language, "Gong Xi Fat Choy". The Moslem societies have their Muharam year, and any of the people over the world using the Gregorian calendar, celebrate the New Year on January 1st.

The same thing also occurs in Bali, however the Balinese use many different calendar systems. They have adopted the Gregorian calendar for business and government purposes. But for the endless procession of holy days, temple anniversaries, celebrations, sacred dances, building houses, wedding ceremonies, death and cremation processes and other activities that define Balinese life, they have two calendar systems. The first is the Pawukon (from the word Wuku which means week) and Sasih (which is means month). Wuku consists of 30 items starting from Sinta, the first Wuku and end up with the Watugunung the last one. The Pawukon, a 210-day ritual calendar brought over from Java in the 14th century, is a complex cycle of numerological conjunctions that provides the basic schedule for ritual activities on Bali. Sasih, a parallel system of Indian origin, is a twelve month lunar calendar that starts with the vernal equinox and is equally important in determining when to pay respect to the Gods.

Westerners open the New Year in revelry, however, in contrast, the Balinese open their New Year in silence. This is called Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of Silence, which falls on the day following the dark moon of the spring equinox, and opens a new year of the Saka Hindu era which began in 78 A.D.

Nyepi is a day to make and keep the balance of nature. It is based on the story of when King Kaniska I of India was chosen in 78 A.D. The King was famous for his wisdom and tolerance for the Hinduism and Buddhism societies. In that age, Aji Saka did Dharma Yatra (the missionary tour to promote and spread Hinduism) to Indonesia and introduce the Saka year.

The lead upto Nyepi day is as follows:

* Melasti or Mekiyis or Melis (three days before Nyepi)
Melasti is meant to clean the pratima or arca or pralingga (statue), with symbols that help to concentrate the mind in order to become closer to God. The ceremony is aimed to clean all nature and its content, and also to take the Amerta (the source for eternal life) from the ocean or other water resources (ie lake, river, etc). Three days before Nyepi, all the effigies of the Gods from all the village temples are taken to the river in long and colourful ceremonies. There, they have are bathed by the Neptune of the Balinese Lord, the God Baruna, before being taken back home to their shrines.
* Tawur Kesanga (the day before Nyepi)
Exactly one day before Nyepi, all villages in Bali hold a large exorcism ceremony at the main village cross road, the meeting place of demons. They usually make Ogoh-ogoh (the fantastic monsters or evil spirits or the Butha Kala made of bamboo) for carnival purposes. The Ogoh-ogoh monsters symbolize the evil spirits surrounding our environment which have to be got rid of from our lives . The carnivals themselves are held all over Bali following sunset. Bleganjur, a Balinese gamelan music accompanies the procession. Some are giants taken from classical Balinese lore. All have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair and are illuminated by torches.The procession is usually organised by the Seka Teruna, the youth organisation of Banjar. When Ogoh-ogoh is being played by the Seka Teruna, everyone enjoys the carnival. In order to make a harmonic relation between human being and God, human and human, and human and their environments, Tawur Kesanga is performed in every level of society, from the people's house. In the evening, the Hindus celebrating Ngerupuk, start making noises and light burning torches and set fire to the Ogoh-ogoh in order to get the Bhuta Kala, evil spirits, out of our lives.
* Nyepi
On Nyepi day itself, every street is quiet - there are nobody doing their normal daily activities. There is usually Pecalangs (traditional Balinese security man) who controls and checks for street security. Pecalang wear a black uniform and a Udeng or Destar (a Balinese traditional "hat" that is usually used in ceremony). The Pecalangs main task is not only to control the security of the street but also to stop any activities that disturb Nyepi. No traffic is allowed, not only cars but also people, who have to stay in their own houses. Light is kept to a minimum or not at all, the radio or TV is turned down and, of course, no one works. Even love making, this ultimate activity of all leisure times, is not supposed to take place, nor even attempted. The whole day is simply filled with the barking of a few dogs, the shrill of insect and is a simple long quiet day in the calendar of this otherwise hectic island. On Nyepi the world expected to be clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the "force" of the World, hence the mandatory religious control.
* Ngembak Geni (the day after Nyepi)
Ngembak is the day when Catur Berata Penyepian is over and Hindus societies usually visit to forgive each other and doing the Dharma Canthi. Dharma Canthi are activities of reading Sloka, Kekidung, Kekawin, etc.(ancient scripts containing songs and lyrics).

From the religious and philosophy point of view, Nyepi is meant to be a day of self introspection to decide on values, eg humanity, love, patience, kindness, etc., that should kept forever. Balinese Hindus have many kind of celebrations (some sacred days) but Nyepi is, perhaps the most important of the island's religious days and the prohibitions are taken seriously, particularly in villages outside of Bali's southern tourist belt. Hotels are exempt from Nyepi's rigorous practices but streets outside will be closed to both pedestrians and vehicles (except for airport shuttles or emergency vehicles) and village wardens (Pecalang) will be posted to keep people off the beach. So wherever you happen to be staying on Nyepi Day in Bali, this will be a good day to spend indoors. Indeed Nyepi day has made Bali a unique island.

-http://www.indo.com/culture/nyepi.html-

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Bali Cuisines

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Nasi Ayam Kadewatan


Nasi Ayam Kadewatan is another famous warung also located at West Ubud. They recently opened a new branch at Petingenget area, which is more accesible from Kuta. There is only one menu at this warung. It is nasi ayam, that is, steam rice with pindang egg, shredded chicken, betutu chicken (Balinese style cooking), fried peanuts, urap (vegetable), and all other parts of chicken such as: skins, livers and intestines. I believe that this is one of the most authentic Balinese food you must savor on the island.


Nasi Pedas Ibu Andika


If you like hot and spicy food, you can’t go wrong eating at this warung. They have a wide variety of meals you can choose: beef, chicken, tofu, tempe, vegetables, fried noodle, and egg balado. Almost all their meals are spicy. If you want spicier, you even can order more chili on the side. My top suggestion is their chicken skin, which is my favorite food at this warung. Note that this place is a real warung, not a fancy restaurant.

Bumbu Bali


Bumbu Bali is the first up-market restaurant specializing in authentic Balinese delicacies. Heinz von Holzen, previously worked at Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton-Bali, and his Balinese wife, Puji, opened their own restaurant, called Bumbu Bali. Heinz is the author and photographer of “The Food of Bali” and “The Food of Indonesia”. He also hosts Balinese cooking lesson at Bumbu Bali as a continuation of writing his books. All dishes served at Bumbu Bali were well prepared and presented. The ambiance is also very nice and relaxing, just a perfect place for couples or families who want to treasure their holiday time.

- foodtravelblog.com/blog -

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Taman Ujung - East Bali

History:

Ujung Water Palace, which by the local people is called as Taman Soekasada Ujung, was built in 1919. However, the launching of this complex of water palace was performed in 1912.

The water palace was constructed by the late King of Karangasem, I Gusti Bagus Jelantik, that reigned in Karangasem between 1909 and 1945.

Ujung Water Palace was majestically built to welcome and to serve important guests and Kings from neighboring countries, besides for the pleasure of the King and his royal family.

Location:

Taman Soekasada Ujung lies at Tumbu village, Karangasem district. It is approximately 85 km from Airport Denpasar and 5 km from Amlapura.

Facility:

Tourism activity in this area is supported by the available of food stalls, small restaurants and quite large parking area. Visitors who are interested in local crafts product can find some of them in art shops available here.

Description:

Taman Soekasada Ujung has been announced to be a cultural tourist object for it is noted as one of several cultural heritages exist in Karangasem regency.

The complex of this water palace is the combination of Balinese and European architectures. There are 3 big and large ponds inside the area. In the middle of the main pond, there is a building that connected to the edge of the pond by 2 bridges.

On the most tip of the highest level of this complex, we will find a great statue of "warak" (rhinoceros). Beneath the warak there is a Bull statue. From this high place we will see a marvellous view of sea, hills with lush and green forest, the beauty of Mount Agung combined with the green terraced rice fields.

The greatness of Ujung Water Palace had been destructed by the explotion of Mount Agung in 1963 which was made worst by the great shake happened in 1979. However, the recovery effort had been performed to bring back the glory of this complex of water palace by holding a reconstruction and revitalisation project on it. Although it is not as great as it was, the amaze of the past still can be seen here this moment.

-www.flickr.com - baliphotographer -

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Bridge of Tukad Bangkung - Highest in Asia

Bridge crossing Tukad Bangkung, located at Plaga Village, Petang District, Badung Regency, Bali, was inaugurated back on Tuesday, December 19th 2008. Connecting three regencies of Bali namely Badung, Bangli, and Buleleng, the bridge is currently the longest one in Bali and the highest one in Asia.

The Bridge of Tukad Bangkung has 360 meters length and 9.6 meters width. The highest pillar is at 71.14 meters height plus 41 meters foundation dug down into the earth.

Built in balanced cantilever technology, the bridge is expected to last 100 years. To minimize impact to magnificent natural beauty in the area, the bridge was not built with canopy. The construction is predicted to stands earthquake up to 7th Richter scale.

The bridge replaced the older one located about 500 meters away to the south.

-balinewsonline.com-

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Ngaben cremation ceremony

Ngaben cremation ceremony is held in Bali, especially by the Hindu religion, where religion is the majority Hindu island in the Thousand Temples. In the Panca Yadnya, including in this ceremony Pitra Yadnya, the ceremony is intended to lelulur spirit. Ngaben meaning of the ceremony was essentially a return to ancestral spirits (of those who have died) to the place of origin. A man has Pedanda said Davis, sayings, eyelash, and after Davis died, sayings, IDEP is returned to Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.

Ngaben ceremonies are usually held by family relatives of those who died, as respect of a child against her parents. In this ceremony is usually to spend 15 million fund's 20 million rupiah. The ceremony is usually done with the flamboyant, no sob mourning, in Bali because there is a confidence that we can not mourn those who have died because it could hamper travel to the spirit of the place.

Day of Ngaben determined to find a good day is usually determined by Pedanda. Several days before the ceremony was held Ngaben families assisted by the community will create a "Bade and cattle", which is made from wood majestic, colorful paper and other materials. "Bade and cattle" This is a place where the corpse will be carried out Ngaben.

Morning when the ceremony was held, families and relatives and the community will gather to prepare the ceremony. Corpses will be cleaned, or what's called "Nyiramin" by the community and family, "Nyiramin" is led by people who are considered the most elderly in the community. After the corpse will be traditional Balinese dress like people who are still alive. Before the event peak implemented, the whole family will the past and provide a nice spirit of prayer get a good place. Once everything is ready, the corpse will be placed in "Bade" Bring to troop to the grave where Ngaben ceremony, accompanied by a "gamelan", "sacred ballad", and followed the entire family and community, in front of the "Bade" there is a white cloth meaningful long as the spirit opening the road to the place of their origin. At each junction or the crossroad "Bade" will be played 3 times. Arriving at the grave, Ngaben ceremony was held with corpses lay in the "cattle", which has been prepared begins with ceremonies and prayers of the mantras of Ida Pedanda, and "cattle" to be burned to Abu. Abu is then removed to the Sea or the river is considered holy.

After the ceremony, the family can quietly pray from the ancestral shrines and holy places respectively. This is the cause of family ties in Bali is very strong, because they always remember and respect lelulur and also their parents.There is a belief that the ancestral spirits that reincarnation will be back in the family circle again, so is usually a grandchild is a reincarnation of her parents.

- www.bukisa.com -

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Pendet Dance - Originally from Bali Indonesia

Initially, the Pendet Dance was the worship dance that often was exhibited in the temple. The dance that was created early of the year of some seventy by the artist I Nyoman Kaler this, depicted the reception on the fall of gods and goddesses to nature marcapada that was the statement from a dedication in the form of the ceremony dance.
Gradually, together with the development of the time, the Balinese artists changed Pendet into "congratulations came", although continuing to contain the element that sacred-religious. Flower sowing was spread opposite the guests as the expression welcome.

Pendet was the statement from a dedication in the form of the ceremony dance. Unlike his matter dances showed that needed the intensive training, Pendet could be danced by everyone; pemangkus the man and the woman, women and the village girl. This dance was taught only a with followed moved and rarely was carried out in series. The young girls followed moved from the more senior women who understood their responsibility in giving the good example.

The Pendet dance was the dance of the daughters who had the pattern of the movement that was more dynamic than the Horoscope dance that was brought in groups or teamed up, was put forward after the Horoscope dance in the page of the temple and usually appeared to the side of holy (pelinggih) by putting on ceremony clothes and respectively the dancer brought I, the pitcher, the cup and other ritual offering equipment.

- http://cultureinindonesian.blogspot.com -

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