Bali is part of the Indonesian archipelago, and every aspect of this island is fascinating. Formed millions of years ago by volcanic action, the Bali landscape is dominated by mountains, coastal lowlands and limestone outcrops that drop from great heights into the sea. Beside the spectacular landscape, Bali is better known for its rich culture, surf and sparkling beaches.

The mesmerising sounds of the gamelan, the countless sacred and secular dances, beautiful textiles, the wayang style of painting are among some of the elements of Balinese culture that have long captured the hearts of visitors. Sometimes, tourists will stumble upon a parade of people in stark gold, pink and purple costumes, carrying baskets of fruit and flower arrangements as offerings.

There are also ample opportunities to ride the most exciting surf in this part of the world, take leisurely walks in peaceful jungles, go diving, shop, trek volcanoes and enjoy lip smacking food. Eating and drinking should definitely be an unforgettable experience in Bali. The seas around the island are abundant with marine life, some of which ends up in the kitchens of restaurants. Fertile soils and heavy rainfall coupled with abundant water from mountain springs have allowed rice, vegetables, fruit and many other crops to grow. This cornucopia of ingredients allows a great variety of dishes to prepared.

The Indonesian archipelago stretches from the islands of Sumatra in the North West to Irian Jaya in the East, and Bali is situated between highly populated Java and idyllic Lombok. In a way, Bali captures much of the soul and identity of Indonesia yet it has evolved a unique culture of its own, making it a very special place.

Amongst the 13,700 Indonesian islands (900 of which are inhabited), Bali is the only Hindu province, and the rich blend of tradition and culture has an incredible impact. Moreover, Bali is the last island running east to have a distinctly tropical Asian environment. Any island east of Bali lies east of the Wallace line and the people and life forms show signs of having a greater Australian and New Guinean influence. Strangely enough, it is also considered to be the most western of the Lesser Sunda Islands, which stretch as far as New Guinea.

Geographically, Bali is the ideal location for such a colourful and deeply spiritual culture. In fact the rich geography of the island has actually been responsible for extensive and fascinating cultural development.

Even though it is relatively small, approximately 5,000 square kilometers in all, Bali boasts a whole range, of different environments. This compact landscape centers on a line of active volcanoes with alluvial slopes that spill down to coastal plains. Tropical rainforests fringe the mountains, eventually giving way to carefully cultivated rice fields and crop growth. Further down on the plains, water logged mangrove swamps lead to the ocean. A number of different rivers and streams, in turn, wind their way through a cross section of these environments and down to the coast, carving deep chasms as they go.

Bali enjoys a consistently warm climate, which is particularly mild in the dry season, and the mountains ensure there is a steady rainfall to periodically cool the island down through the rainy season. The mountainous regions maintain a refreshing temperature all year round, and can provide a great break from the greater heat and humidity of the plains.

The people of Bali, as diverse as the geography of the different regions and yet united by their strong religious beliefs, draw their strength and their meaning from this wonderful environment.

The mountains are the focus of all daily activities, with holy Mount Agung as the great heavenward inspiration. All villages, temples, family compounds, houses and furniture arrangements are designed to face "kaja", or towards the mountains. The seaward direction "kelod", on the other hand, is considered to be less sacred and at times impure, although the sea itself is not considered profane.

Mountain slopes provide the ideal setting for the luminous terraced rice fields, which then transform into vast paddied fields. The Balinese have an ingenious irrigation system controlled by village organisation called the subak that keeps these paddies well watered, and the rich nutrients from the volcanic ash ensure these fields are also well fertilized.
Rice is the staple food for all Balinese people, and sampling the steamed rice (nasi putih), red rice (nasi merah), or even coloured yellow rice (nasi kuning) is a must. Or try a mixed rice dish served with different condiments (nasi campur) or fried rice (nasi goreng), even some sticky rice patties. Rice also has sacred significance, and it is offered back to the gods in the form of brightly coloured cakes, or even simply as a few grains sprinkled on a banana leaf. Dewi Sri, the Balinese rice goddess, features strongly in local mythology and religious observance, and she often appears as a "cili" figure cut and bound from rice stalks.

The rivers are a focus for rural village life, as they are a source of water for both work and domestic activities. You'll often find whole villages bathing in the rivers, washing their clothes, washing their cars, fishing from them, or simply splashing around and having a great time. Further down the river path, many of the mud flats near the sea continue to be used by small family groups for making salt, an essential condiment in Bali.

At the edges of the land, the oceans are a source of holy water and the channel for preparing the dead for their afterlife. But there is still a great fear of the sea as the unknown, so even though fishing and seaweed farming are reasonably widespread and many activities revolve around the surrounding ocean, it is treated with great respect.

As a visitor, it is difficult not to be drawn in to the inherent magic of a place where the people and the land interact so closely, where the people draw so much meaning from the land and its spirits. You can see this magic in the long processions of flower and fruit laden villagers on their way to the temples, or in the glittering dancers acting out an ancient Hindu story. You can hear it in the lively clashes and clangs of the gamelan orchestra, or the quiet whispers of continually offered prayers.

It is easy to sense the magic in the tastes of an island with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the aromas of sweet incense. And, naturally, the magical feeling is palpable.

While in Bali, you may choose to participate in this magic by visiting one of the large number of temples, with ancient Hindu symbols carved in huge slabs of stone. Or you may be lucky enough to have the opportunity to observe a temple festival or public cremation. You will, most likely, want to see at least one of Bali's famous dances.

Grab the opportunity if you can, to see the graceful welcoming dance, in which young girls tilt their heads and move rhythmically to the gamelan beat, sharing their flower offerings with all.

Another must see is the kecak dance, a hypnotic chant performed by scores of men circled around a large coconut oil lamp, where scenes from the Ramayana are re enacted. Or the legong dance, which includes a series of different dance scenes and styles, is always worthwhile.

The more adventurous can go trekking, fourwheel driving, white water rafting, and ride elephants or camels! There is nothing quite as exhilarating and spectacular as rushing down a river canyon or trekking through thick matted forests. It is always possible to feel some of that tribal Balinese magic when you venture out into the more wilderness of Bali.

Or you may just be satisfied to enjoy the beautiful beaches and countryside, knowing the spirits are with you. How can you miss it when there are constant reminders of their presence?

Wherever you are, and whatever you choose to do, enjoy the warm smiles and open embrace of a people who appreciate their whole way of life and would love to share some of its magic with you.

The traditional prayer position of the hands and bow from the heart are welcoming gestures designed to recognize and honor your soul, and they are a true indication of your importance as a visitor to Bali.

"Selamat datang" or "Rahajeng rauh" : you are always very welcome in Bali.

The religion of Bali is a Unique blend of, Siwa Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism and some reminiscence of animism. Up until the 15th century, the Majapahit kingdom maintained dominance in the area now known as South East Asia, and Bali was an influential province. As the links between the mother religion and her descendants in Bali slowly vanished over time and due to distance, indigenous beliefs reappeared.

The new form of Balinese Hinduism, which is not exactly the same as the Indian Hinduism, is practiced in Bali and is called Agama Hindu Dharma, which be called as a blend of the elements from Hinduism and Buddhism. These arrived through Java from India between the 8th to 16th centuries. Elements of Mahayana Buddhism practiced in Japan, China and Korea as well as the Indian caste system are now important components of the religion.

Intellectuals and artists, priests and princes, soldiers and artisans arrived in Bali with their precious books and records. The island was suddenly flooded with the sudden flow of creative ideas and skills, and the culture developed significantly.

By the beginning of the 19th century, Bali was still an isolated island relatively unaffected by the west, with its unique ever-evolving culture still intact.

The main symbol of Balinese Hinduism or Agama Hindu Dharma is the swastika, or the wheel of the
sun. The foundations of the practices are to acquire Nyekah, the lost procession after knowledge of the epics and of the dead, through the theology of ritual worship.

The main purpose of life is to be released from the wheel of reincarnation. One's lot in one's present life is believed to be a result of one's good or evil deeds accumulated from his or her previous life or lives. Once the soul is released from the cycle of reincarnation, he will become a god.

An important belief is that elements of nature are influenced by spirit that has been appeased. As such, offerings (sajen) made from agricultural products are offered to the spirits. It is believed that Bali’s highest mountain Gunung Agung is the dwelling place of the gods and the ancestors; it is revered as the "Mother" mountain and is highly sacred to the Balinese. As water and volcanoes - considered as the wrath of the gods - come from Gunung Agung, the mountain occupies the pole of purity, kaja. In contrast, the pole of impurity is the sea, or kelod. Balinese Hinduism revolves around the kaja-kelod axis and determines the spatial organisation of the rituals, architecture and daily life. One sleeps, for example, with one's head in the direction of the mountain.

Religion in Bali varies according to three principles: desa (place), kala (time) and patra (circumstances). Hinduism acknowledges five pillars of faith. They are belief in the Supreme God (Brahman of Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa), belief in the soul as the universal principle of life and consciousness (atma), belief in the fruition of one's deeds (karma phala), belief in the process of birth and death (samsara); and belief in ultimate release (moksa).

One of the consequences of the principles of karma and samsara is the existence of the caste system where an individual inherits his status as a result of his past life. The four castes in Bali are the brahmana, who deal with religion and the holy texts, the satria or rulers, the wesia or merchants and the sudra, the lower class, a social stratification initially based on division of labour.

Being multiple and pervading, god has different names: the Ultimate Void or Sunya expanding in an infinity of murti of manifestations from which people select one as Istadewata or a personal god. Some of the names are indigenous: Sang Hayang Embang, and others of Indian origin, Sang Hyang Parama Kawi. They are all seen as emanating from a single source.

The principle gods are Brahma, the God of Creation, Wisnu, The God of Providence, and Siwa, the God of Dissolution. These three move the world through an unending process of birth, balance and destruction. Man, a microcosm of the world, is subjected to the same process until he achieves moksa, blending into the Cosmos and God. The cosmos and its movement is symbolized by the swastika.

Man should endeavour to maintain the harmony of the whole system, hence the role of ritual. Only by adhering to the proper rules of behaviour can the proper balance be kept between the two sets of godly and demonic forces. Balinese religion is known to the world through the richness of its rituals. Gods and demons seem to be every where and the life of the Balinese is therefore rich with abundant rituals.

As the tools for maintaining the balance of the world there are rituals for everything imaginable, from knowledge, cleansing machines to marriage and birth ceremonies, all of different types and levels.

Rituals consist of calling down the gods and the ancestors for visits from their heavenly abode in their country above the mountain. Balinese rituals are ruled by a complex calendar system, a combination of the Indian Saka calendar and the Wuku calendar.

The Saka year rules the agricultural cycle and is divided into lunar months and fitted to the solar calendar by the addition of an extra month, every thirtieth month. The full moon and the dark moon are the most important ritual moments of this calendar. The first day of the Saka year, however, usually in March is the day of Silence and of profound importance throughout Bali, a fasting day and a day for contemplation.

The Wuku year consists of a cycle of 210 days divided into thirty wuku weeks, each of which corresponds to a specific activity. There is a week of weapons, of plantations and one of animals, for example. There are then other types of weeks varying from one to ten days, each having a name and number, being auspicious or inauspicious. The most important days in this system are Galungan and Kuningan.

Temples in Bali are simple walled open yards from which people can communicate directly with their gods and ancestors. Gods and ancestors normally "visit" their human worshippers or descendants during temple festivals (odalan), and during the Galungan and Kuningan holidays. They reside in miniature houses set in the temple, the pelinggih shrines and alight with effigies of gold, coins or offerings.

During the length of their stay, the gods and their companions are symbolically bathed, feted, put to bed and entertained with dances and other shows. Meanwhile members of the temple come and go over three or more days, with offerings and to get their share of holy water sprinkled over them and the offerings during the collective prayers. There are few societies in the world where religion plays a role such as it does in Bali. The incredible beauty and colour that accompany the rituals and offerings which seem to be ever occurring that Bali is harmonising the worlds of Man with the cosmic world of the gods.

Even on the brink of the 21st century, Bali is proving that the unique spiritual forces that have shaped the island will continue to act as major determining influences well into the future. Every time a small canang offering, laden with incense and colourful flowers, is laid on the ground; every time a chisel strikes soft wood and carves out the features on a mythological creature; every time a young baby touches the ground for the first time or ashes are offered to the seas; evidence of Bali's living traditions are being manifested, acting as constant reminders of her passion for an authentic existence.

Balinese Hindus believe in incarnation: when a person dies, the soul passes into another body, where it is in torment because of evil deeds accumulated in its present and past lives. To cleanse the impurity of the soul, rituals are continually performed throughout the person's life. The soul will constantly seek to free itself from this cycle of life until it attains enlightenment or moksa.

The process of incarnation is both human and cosmic, starting from love. The union of a man and a woman is that of purusa and pradana ( the male and female principle respectively) and the cosmic energy of Asmara, the god of love, and Ratih, the goddess of the moon. In their sexual love are united the red and white elements of desire (kama bang/kama petak), symbols of male sperm and female ovula. The eventual merging of the two kamas begets what is often called "The Godly Fetus" or sanghyang Jabang Bayi, as the soul originates from the heavenly world. A child is called "Dewa" or little god during his first year of life.

Balinese believe that the mountains are the home of the gods, deified ancestors and souls which did not attain moksa. The gods and deified ancestors will descend occasionally to earth during temple ceremonies to partake of offerings and enjoy entertainment. When souls are ready to re-incarnate on earth, they will come from the mountains above or straight from hell. That is why the mountains are revered as the Holy Places.

The religious rites of the Balinese consist of the human rites (manusa yadnya), the rites of the dead (pitra yadnya), rites of the gods or temple rites (dewa yadnya), rites of demonic forces (butha yadnya) and ordainment rites (rsi yadnya). Each phase of a person's life, from pregnancy to birth and birth to death, will be accompanied by rituals, which are performed on certain occasions or at any time whenever the need arises. Holy water, fire, ash, geese, ducks, eggs and leaves of dabdab tree are the purifying elements used in the rituals.

Apart from its spiritual purposes, the manusa yadnya rites are also carried out to oversee the person's material well being. The "four companions" (kanda empat) accompany the person throughout the course of his or her life. If treated well, they will act as protectors; otherwise they may cause problems.

The manusa yadnya rites include birth rites. The seventh month of pregnancy is the time for the housing of the soul or Megedong-gedongan ceremony, when the soul is bound within the womb. Birth is celebrated through the penyambutan (welcoming) ceremonies, the true birth-rites. The catur sanak or burying of four little siblings is when the after-birth is given a ritual burial in four different places within the family compound. On the fifth or seventh day, a ceremony for the fall of the umbilical cord (kepus pungsed) is held. Twelve days after birth, a shrine is placed next to the baby's cot with flower and banana offerings to the Dewa Kumara deity, who will protect the baby until its first tooth appears.

At the age of three months, the baby is allowed to touch the ground and is given a name, and it has entered the earthly world and the ceremonies are to welcome and guide the child during his or her first steps in life. This is how a child attains full incarnation of human status. Like any other being, the child will be subjected to the cycle of the Balinese calendar. He or she will have an otonan anniversary in the family temple, with offerings, every 210 days (i.e., one cycle in the Wuku year).

According to the principles of cosmic harmony, man is expected to reach moksa. To do this he or she should strive to fulfill three other goals of life: desire-kama, wealth-artha and virtue-dharma. Each of these goals should be fulfilled in an order of priority depending on the stage reached in life, such as when young, becoming an adolescent, getting married and becoming old.

Desire must be exercised with caution and balanced by dharma. This control of desire is illustrated in the mesangih or earthly existence in the metatah, a tooth-filing rite, which takes place during adolescence, a time when sexual desire has reached its peak. The teeth symbolize the animal, or the uncontrolled side of humans, and Balinese demons always have big canine teeth. By filing them, six enemies will be eliminated; namely, lust, greed, anger, intoxication, confusion and jealousy.

The Balinese marriage ceremony is no less complex. It is preceded by an engagement of mepadik during which the couple falsely elope, and are supported by a group of accomplices, who protect the couple during their honeymoon. After three days, they are considered man and wife. The ploy is a serious one as the girl's parents may be furious and refuse their blessing.

The wedding ceremony follows in a more formal manner. It emphasises that one's desires, while being exercised, should at the same time be kept under tight control. The climax of the wedding ritual, Mesakapan, is meant to appease the earthly forces or buta sor, which are the origin of desires and temptation.

Priorities in life then shift towards family and accumulation of wealth or artha. Male heirs are regarded as important because it is these heirs of sentana who will implement the rituals of death and look after the family temples. They are a safeguard in the process of release. It is therefore important to accumulate wealth so that the rites for their ancestors and the community can be financed.

The Balinese death is but a return to your origins. The preceding wheels of one's life are the way to ultimate release. Not all corpses are cremated immediately, as some wait for an auspicious day, a collective ceremony or until their descendants have enough money to perform the rites. The cremation ritual is a reminder of the cosmic symbolism of life. The tower is a duplicate of the cosmos; the corpse is put in the middle, symbolizing its position between the spiritual and the human worlds. The sarcophagus, in which the body is burned, is a vehicle to take the soul away.

The ashes are collected and taken to the sea. It is here that the soul passes through hell to be tortured and cleansed. The soul is then called back on shore and eventually taken back to the Mother Mountain, Gunung Agung. The soul is then enshrined in the family temple and the dead is now an ancestor, until the next incarnation.

VILLAGE RITUALS

The soul of Bali lies in its desa adat ( traditional villages) which function as important religious and social institutions. The layout of a typical Balinese village follows a set pattern that achieves harmony between man and nature. In particular, spatial arrangement of the components of a village such as temples, rice fields and cemeteries are made with reference to the two important points of kaja (or mountain ward) and kelod (or seaward).

The Balinese desa adat (village) typically host a set of three village temples. Instead of being closed and roofed structures, the temples are open spaces, bordered only by wall and carved gates, with trees alongside thatched shrines in their inside: the gods thus enter the village as nature itself.

Called the kahyangan tiga, these three temples are specifically defined as to function and location. The pura puseh or "temple of origin" lies facing kaja (or mountain ward), where the tutelary gods of the village and its founders are worshipped. Facing kelod (or seaward) stands the pura dalem, where the forces of death and the unpurified souls are worshipped and it lies nearby the cemetery. In between the pura puseh and pura dalem lies the pura desa, where the "Lord of the territory" (sane nruwenang jagat) is worshipped and where the meetings of the village assembly and the rituals of fertility are held. Clustered around the pura desa are groups of houses called banjar.

The temples are at the heart of Balinese life. They have their anniversary every 210 days, when the gods come down for visits, during which they are welcomed by dance, served with offerings and provided with a symbolic resting place, then the village comes to life, and color takes it over.

Beside the temple anniversaries, Bali has two sets of island wide festivals that correspond to the "new years" of the two Balinese calendars: the Nyepi of the lunar solar Saka year and the Galungan of the 210 day Pawukon calendar.

New Year's day is perhaps the oddest day in Bali. On this day, throughout the island, silence is observed and inactivity reigns supreme. Also called Nyepi Day, the Balinese Day of Silence, New Year's day 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.

On Nyepi day, which starts with sunrise, do not expect to be able to do anything. You will have to stay in your hotel. No traffic is allowed, not only of cars, but also of people, who have to stay in their individual houses. Light is kept to a minimum, radio tuned down, and no one works, of course. Even love making, this ultimate activity of all leisure timers, 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 insects and simple long, long quiet day in the calendar of this hectic island.

Nyepi is a religious event. In a Hindu society like Bali, one believes in the karmapala principle, according to which the dynamics of life and of Man's individual fate is set in motion by "action". Man is in the midst of a Samsara cycle of incarnations, each of which is determined by the quality of his actions (karma) in his former existence. His "ideal" is thus to put the system to rest, i.e., to control one's actions, and thus to subdue one's "demons". Only in such a way can man hope to .achieve "deliverance" from his cycles of life (moksa) and eventually merge with the Oneness of the Void, the Ultimate Silence of Sunya.

The day of Silence is a symbolic replay of these philosophical principles. At the beginning of the year, the world is "clean". The previous days, all the effigies of the gods from all the village temples have been taken to the river in long and colourful ceremonies. There they have been bathed by the Neptunus of Balinese lore, the god Baruna, before being taken back to residence in their shrines of origin.

The day before Nyepi, all villages have also held a large exorcist ceremony at the main village crossroad, the meeting place of the demons. And, at night all the demons of the Bali world were let loose on the roads in a carnival of fantastic monsters, the Ogoh ogoh.

The parade is held all over Bali after sunset. All the banjar neighbourhoods and hundreds of youth associations make their own Ogoh ogoh monsters. Some are giants from the classical Balinese lore, while others are guitarists, bikers or even AIDS microbes. All with fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair, illuminated by torches and with the accompaniment of the most demonic gamelan music (bleganjur) of the Balinese repertoire. They surge suddenly by the hundreds from every street, some more "horrible" than the others; each carried on the shoulder of four to thirty youths, jerking this way or that way so as to give the impression of a dance, or suddenly turning in a circle, much to the fascination of the spectators. And, believe it, this is not a small "procession": it lasts for three to four hours, as if Bali has an inexhaustible pool of demons. No more than its gods and goddesses for sure.

Thus, on Silence day, the world is clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the "force" of the World. Hence the mandatory religious prohibitions of a mati lelanguan (no pleasure), a mati lelungan (no journey), a mati geni (no fire), and a mati karya (no work).

Among the many holidays in the Balinese 210 day calendar, the most prominent are undoubtedly those of Galungan and Kuningan; the former on the Wednesday of the Dungulan week and the latter on the Saturday on the Kuningan week. Due to their frequency roughly once every seven Gregorian months these festivals are not celebrated as national holidays, but do not try to do anything between Penampahan Galungan (the day for the slaughter of the pigs that precede Galungan) and Manis Galungan, the day following it, or on the Friday preceding Kuningan; government offices are closed. People go back to their village of origin to present offerings to their ancestors and village temples.

Unlike most Balinese festivals which celebrate the particular anniversary of a temple, and are therefore scattered across the calendar, Galungan and Kuningan are all island holidays: everywhere, temples are all dressed up, with batik and white or yellow cloth wrapped around their individual shrines as a sign that they are "occupied," meaning the gods are visiting their descendants. The ritual performed is a reminder of the strong ancestor's cult aspect of the Hindu Balinese religion. When it took root in Bali, Hinduism, instead of throwing away the older tradition as Christianity and Islam tended to do, integrated elements of ancestral beliefs and natural animism into its corpus, the rationale being that everything and every belief can be interpreted as "ray" or a manifestation of the "Ultimate Sun" of Surya (Siwa ).

The ancestors do not come before being properly "invited". They are expected to come on the Sugihan Jawa day when one makes offerings for the welfare of the world. The call is made in familiar language: "Mai jani mulih. Uba yang ngaenang banten. Mai delokin damuh damuhe," which means: "Please, come back home for a visit, we have prepared you food, please come and visit your descendants." This is all the more important for "dead" souls which have not yet undergone the whole cleansing process. If the dead is still buried in the cemetery, the soul is thought to be still hanging around nearby, provisionally entrusted to the god, the deity Prajapati. Thus it has to be handled with special care, and given the right punjung offering, lest it wreaks havoc among the living. But if the soul has been cremated and enshrined in the family temple, the danger is lessened and the chances are that its influence will be beneficent. The language will change, though, to become more formal and religious, and the offering will be different, too: this time it will be a saji.

The visit of the ancestors is expected to last until Kuningan. They will have feasted long enough and it will be time for them to go back to their realm of death. Another injunction will do: 'Mangkin mantuk ke kedituan" which means "Go back over there to your home of the dead". The shrines are then undressed and the temples return to quietness, waiting for another festival.
So, if you happen to be in Bali for one of these two festivals, either Nyepi or Galungan, don't miss a visit to the villages.