Articles in the Glossary Category
The best way to enjoy Bali is enjoying every ‘adventure’ which can be experienced on the road, on the beach, and in various occasion. After leaving your comfortable Bali villa, you will face exciting ‘adventures’ …
The two dance terms used for this dance have different meanings in different villages. Both dances have their own particular characteristics. In the traditional village of Asak in Karangasem, however, these two names are combined …
Gebogan is one of many different kinds of beautiful offerings Balinese women traditionally make. It contains, flowers, fruits, rice, cone-shaped cakes and a roasted chicken. What is included in Gebogan will vary from one part …
The First International Conference and Festival on the ‘Cultural Identity of Buleleng’ will be held from July 30 until 2 August, 2009 at The Bali Taman Hotel, Lovina Beach. Its aim is to (re-)discover the …
Eclipse has long been believed as an omen by many civilization in the world, and Balinese believe that eclipse gives hints on the situation of the world in near future. The predicted conditions is based …
Here is an interesting writing by Jonathan Sepe entitled “The Impact of the Green Revolution and Capitalized Farming on the Balinese Water Temple System”. Without further ado here is the complete article
In the 1970s, the …
Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Denpasar which is located at Jalan Nusa Indah Denpasar is not just a place to study the traditional or contemporary Balinese art. It also houses a complete collection of Balinese gamelan …
There is probably no place in the world with such a high density of craftsmen and artisans in Bali. You name it and you can find it here woodcarving, stone carving, bone and ivory carving, …
As a wedding destination, Bali has been blessed with beautiful verdant nature and rich culture, two main factors that draw many couples to seal their love in Bali. Fortunately there is a place in Bali …
The proliferation of handicraft industry in Bali, for many people is considered the side effect of tourism. It is true that when the tourism of Bali experienced its darkest moment after the first and second …
Flowers are important things for Balinese, since in every single day, Balinese need flowers for praying and also as offering to God. However not many Balinese know what kind of flowers is appropriate for praying …
Cili a palm-leaf decorative motif, usually the stylized figure of a beautiful young girl. This symbol for wealth and fertility, a representation of Dewi Sri, is an important and ubiquitous element of native decorative art.
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Adat – traditional law or custom. Unwritten, recognized rules of behavior and conduct covering such matters as taboos, inheritance rights, ownership of land, cooking, eating, courtship, ceremonies of birth, marriage, and death, times and methods …
The local witch doctor, folk doctor, shaman, black magic advocate, diviner, conjuror, herbalist, druggist. He or she could be a traditional village faith healer who uses incantations, a ritual specialist who has knowledge …
Flooded irrigated fields of stalk rice; deep mud artificially constructed (often terraced) and continuously cultivated with rice.
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The colors, of the porosan – red for areca nut, green for betel leaf, and white for lime – represent Brahma, Wisnu, and Siwa, the three gods of Hindu Trimurti.
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Canang Sari offerings differ in form and function depending on locality but in general are said to embody the essence or sari of human prosperity, a kind of repayment to the forces of the invisible …
A fig or waringan tree whit writhing arteries which spread out 10-15 meters. Also buddha’s bo tree under which he received enlightenment. Its sturdy trunk, umbrella-shaped crown and cool shade symbolize physical protection and divine …
A small temporary shrine of bamboo called a sanggah cucuk is always found beneath a panjor. Small offerings to the deities are placed here for as long as the penjor is in use. This shrine …
Tall Jerimpen offerings, set in plaited baskets, are constructed around cylindrical bamboo frame and crowned by a large leaf sampian. Seen Jerimpen on procession of Pura Ulun Danu Batur ‘s temple festival.
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A signal drum or bell that made from a hollow log with a slit down one side and is used as a summons to temple or Banjar event.
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A mask and costume representing a mythical, supernatural creature; the most common barong has a costume that looks like a Chinese lion (barong ket) and is animated by two men, one manipulating the mask, the …
Literally “widow”; Rangda is one of the two central figures in the barong play, representing the negative side of man; Rangda is also related to Durga, wife of Siwa, who represents his destructive side.
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Small lead or bronze Chinese coins with a hole in the center used in offerings and as decoration in rituals. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the kepeng was the most wide-spread form of …
An otonan is held every 210 days following the birth of a baby and is considered a most important rite of passage. It can be likened to a birthday and is celebrated with elaborate offerings, …
Elaborate offerings made of dyed rice dough arranged against a framework of bamboo and cloth symbolize the form and content of the Balinese mythic world. Sarad will typically include representations of Bedawang Nala and Naga …
The kwangen as a small, triangular offering containing flowers, a small betel quid and often Chinese coins. Kwangen are used in the Balinese form of prayer called muspa (to pray with flowers). The Chinese coins …
A double-edged dagger. Designed for thrusting, its blade twists and winds like a snake. Simultaneously a weapon, an ornament, a cultic object, a symbol of masculine strength, and perhaps the finest example …
A generic term for any number of Balinese percussion-type orchestras first depeloved on Java. Made up mainly of bronze and wooden xylophones shaped likediscs, cylinders, keys, or bulbous hollow bowls beaten with hammers, sometimes accompanied …
Meru – A multiroofed pagoda or shrine made of black thatch found only on Bali. Also the symbol of the Buddhist mountain-of-heaven, Mahameru, the axis mundi of the world and abode of the gods. The …
Candi Bentar – A topless split gateway, frequently the entrance to the outer courtyard of a temple.
Bale Banjar – headquarters of the village ward, the meeting place of the banjar where community events and activity are organized, and the storage and rehearsal place for the gamelan. There are also Temple and …