
Balinese Art Culture
Monday, July 4, 2011
Barong Ubud bali

Sunday, January 30, 2011
Ukiran Bali - Reaching Artistic Height

Witnessing the carvers in


Saturday, January 29, 2011
Historical and Cultural Considerations of Balinese Gambelan

The great variety of ensembles is at least partly due to the history and geography of Bali. As on most Indonesian islands, repeated waves of immigration and movement of populations has led to a rich and varied culture. Bali is a relatively small island (much smaller than its near neighbor Java, the other Indonesian island with a famous gamelan tradition), but until the twentieth century, its remoteness and geography as a small island dominated by volcanoes, thick forests, and deep ravines, allowed its various communities and small kingdoms to develop distinctive local religious and entertainment traditions.
While Java was largely converted to Islam, Bali has retained this diversity of local Hindu religious practices. Religion is an important part of the culture of Bali, and a very important aspect of Balinese gamelan music. There are literally thousands of different ceremonies associated with Balinese Hinduism, and gamelan music is an important element of many of these ceremonies.
Gamelan music was probably imported to Bali from Java. Both traditions began as upper-class court music, and the gamelan practices of the two islands still share many important similarities. But because Islam officially disapproves of music, Javanese gamelan practices are much less likely to be associated with religion. The quieter, more improvisational style of Javanese gamelan reflects a fairly continuous history as a classical music for upper-class courts. On Bali, on the other hand, the royal courts lost their power and influence during the period of Dutch control in the early twentieth century, at which time community cooperatives took over much of the performing arts traditions. The louder and more intensely cooperative Balinese music has been strongly influenced by village traditions using gamelan for the people's ceremonies and celebrations. The difference between the two islands' music is easily audible even to the average Westerner.
Note:
Because of the religious associations, the playing area and the instruments themselves are treated with great respect. To avoid giving offense, Westerners who do not know the proper way to do this should keep a respectful distance from the ensemble.
Many of the instruments are very carefully crafted, not only to give beautiful and very-carefully-tuned sounds, but also to be visually pleasing works of art. The wooden frames that hold the instruments are often intricately carved and brightly painted, usually with instruments in a particular gamelan carved and painted to look like, as well as sound like, a matching set.
There are dozens of different types of gamelan. Some types are found in almost every community, others in only a few isolated villages. Each type of gamelan has its own established tradition that includes a standard repertoire of music, in forms specific to that ensemble, to be played in a particular context. As already noted, some of these contexts are religious; one type of ensemble may be found in funeral processions, for example, or at particular temple celebrations.
Other gamelan may provide music for a specific kind of dance or theater performance. For example, wayang kulit, the famous shadow-puppet theater, is traditionally accompanied by a gender wayang ensemble, while dance-dramas may be accompanied by gamelan gambuh.
Specific kinds of dance may also call for specific kinds of ensembles. The conception of dance is also somewhat different from Western ideas; when a performance includes dance, the dance and music are considered to be intensely interdependent, two aspects of a single artistic expression, rather than separable "accompaniments" to each other. Traditionally, women are more likely to be dancers and men are more likely play instruments, but some traditional dances are for men, and it is more common now for women to also play in the gamelan.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Bali Calendar of Festivals and Events 2011 / 2012
Other popular events include the Bali Arts Festival, which kicks off in June for a month and showcases the island's cultural appeal. Independence Day takes place each year on August 17th and its colourful processions are watched by crowds of onlookers.
|
- New Year's Day - January 1st, the celebrations of the previous night continue into the day, although things become more sedate by midday
- Pager Wesi - celebrates Sang Yang (the creator of the universe) with grand ceremonies island-wide
Bali Events and Festivals in February - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Kuningan Ceremony - in early February, spanning ten days and signifying the end of the new year holiday. Yellow rice is offered and temples are beautified to bade farewell to the gods
Bali Events and Festivals in March - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Melasti - precedes Nyepi and is the loud part of the two-day event, where well-dressed villagers offer flowers and fruit and holy men sacrifice pigs
- Nyepi - the quiet day after Melasti welcomes the beginning of the lunar year with a silent vigil to fool the spirits. Bali's airport is closed on Nyepi
- Galungan - the Balinese gods descend to earth during Galungan, a major festival of the Pawukon calendar each March, celebrating the good Dharma over the evil Adharma
Bali Events and Festivals in April - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Kartini Day - mid-April, women don traditional attire to commemorate the birth of the founder of the Balinese women's rights movement, Raden Ajeng Kartini
Bali Events and Festivals in May - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- National Awakening Day - May 20th, 'Hari Kebangkitan Nasional' is a public holiday in Indonesia to mark the principles of Indonesian state philosophy. Government offices and schools host this event
Bali Events and Festivals in June - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Bali Arts Festival - runs between June and July and celebrates the arts and culture of Bali
- Kite Festival - a fun event seeing lots of kite flying throughout the day, and a real boon for tourists who want to get a unique glimpse of another side of Bali
Bali Events and Festivals in July - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Negara Bull Races - bulls are washed and decorated with garlands, coupled to chariots and then raced in an enthralling event. The bull races are staged between July and October
Bali Events and Festivals in August - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Independence Day - August 17th sees Bali adorned with national flags, along with the rest of the country, and feature processions, traditional music and dancing
- Nusa Dua Festival - a week-long event in Bali's popular Nusa Dua resort is a must-see, featuring many Balinese treats including singing, dancing and eating
Bali Events and Festivals in September - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Temple Celebrations - all prominent temples in Bali feature celebrations throughout September, including at Kuta, Sanur, Ubud and Denpasar
Bali Events and Festivals in October - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Ubud Writers and Readers Festival - goes off for five days every year in October and sees dozens of writers from several countries gather, culminating in one of the best events of its type in the country
Bali Events and Festivals in November - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Bali International Jazz Festival - a major event on the island, and in Indonesia as a whole, with performers from all over the world playing out to crowds over a period of three days
Bali Events and Festivals in December - Bali, Indonesia, ID
- Christmas Day - December 25th as with elsewhere in Asia, Christmas is celebrated by Bali's Christian faithful and tourists get particularly jovial at resort bars and restaurants
- New Year's Eve - December 31st sees dinners, dancing, partying, a traditional countdown and lots of fireworks in the bigger resorts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Bali History

The Balinese believe in the eternal cycle of reincarnation and view their life on Earth as just one stage in their continued existence. As part of this belief, a person’s life is marked by rites of passages that are celebrated by the whole family. The first important ritual is performed sixth months during pregnancy (magedong gedongan ceremony). However the first noted ritual is done at birth when the baby’s placenta is buried in coconut shell near the entrance to the family house. Babies are regarded as being the reincarnation of the ancestors. They are therefore thought of as being holy and are treated with reverence. At puberty the tooth-filing ceremony takes place, although this expensive custom is often delayed until marriage to save money. Marriage rituals in Bali are unique and often involve the entire families of the bride and groom in elaborate mock drama. The final and most important cycle of life is the cremation. Cremation rituals are seen as joyous occasions as they release the soul from the Earth so it may start its journey to heaven before being reborn. The mukur ceremony is done 40 days after a cremation to mark the entry of the person into heaven. A Three day odalan festival takes place in a village every 210 days on the anniversary of the village temple’s dedication. During the island-wide festival of Galungan, ancestors are thought to descend from the heaven and enter the world. On the 10th day, Kuningan, the spirits ascend back to Heaven. Nyepi, the new year of the Caka calendar is celebrated in March. | |
Bali Travel Tips
Passports and Visas
Visitors from USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe don't need a visa to enter Indonesia. Provided you have a ticket out of the country and your passport has at least six months validity at the time of your arrival, you'll be issued with a tourist card which is valid for a 60-day stay. Keep the card with your passport as you'll have to hand it back when you leave the country. It is good for 60 days, not two months; some travelers have been fined for overstaying by only a day or so. It is not possible to get an extension on a tourist visa, unless there is a medical emergency or you have to answer legal charges. There are visas, particularly a business visitor's visa, which may be valid for a longer period. The immigration office is in Denpasar. If you have to visit this office, make sure you wear your most respectable clothes.
Currency
The Rupiah. Notes 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000. Coins 100, 500, 1000.
Time Zone
GMT + 8 hours. Same as Beijing, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Perth.
Accommodation
As you can imagine there's an enormous variety of accommodation available in Bali. It varies from magnificent five star resorts to simple jungle cabins, depending on the location and your holiday budget.
Credit Cards
Major credit cards are acceptable in most hotels along with American dollar traveler's cheques.
Electricity
Most hotels use 220 volts, 50 cycles and a round, two-pronged slim plug. Bathroom shaver plugs usually have a transformer switch. We suggest taking an adaptor for your appliance.
General Info | ||
Getting Around You will find a range of chauffeur driven limousines, self-drive cars, taxis and hotel courtesy cars. Many taxis are not metered so it's wise to negotiate the fare before you climb aboard. Bemos are a unique form of transport. They are a mini-van masquerading as a communal bus. You simply hail the driver and negotiate the fare that suits you both. Motorcycles can also be hired in many places but special care should be exercised at all times as road and traffic conditions can be somewhat hazardous in certain locations. Traveling around Bali is made all the easier because everywhere you go you'll find friendly people only to happy to give you advice and directions on how to get where you want to go. Driver's License If you wish to hire a car you must be over 18 years of age and posses an International Driver's License or license from ASEAN countries. Clothing Light, airy, casual clothes are the most practical and you'll find natural fibers like cotton or linen are the most comfortable in Bali's often humid conditions. Waist sashes should be worn when visiting temples. Useful Numbers |