For Balinese, as other people around the globe, house compound is a private place that has to be separated from public domain and protected from any outside disturbance. Balinese contrive many ways to protect their …

Ancestors worship is the core of Balinese-Hindus. Ancestors are deified as spirits who have special affinity for the family, and can be counted upon to protect and help the family in time of disaster or …

Pedanda or Peranda, the brahmana high priest of Bali, is a special man who have a right and ability to perform and officiate a religious ceremony, serves as a bridge between God and mortal.

To become …

Birth order name is a well known and unique characteristic of Balinese name. The birth order name is given to a baby at the instant of its birth, according to whether it is the first, …

In Balinese culture, a man and a woman is considered to be complete when they are unite to form a family that worship common ancestors in the family shrine of each Balinese household.
Family ties are …

As all things Balinese, Balinese villages are peculiar, complicated, and extraordinarily diverse. There is no simple uniformity of social structure to be found over the whole of the small, crowded countryside, no straightforward form of …

Every temple in Bali, whatever its function or size, is the center of activities of a specific corporate social group. It is a permanent, well-organized association with commonly owned property such as the temple itself, …

A child bears his father or mother name is a common practice in most parts of the world. However, in Bali, the parents, grandparents, or even great grandparents bear their offspring’s name.

In Balinese culture someone …

“Balinese are truly communal people”, this claim, of course need to be supported with a fact, and here is the fact.

flickr.com/photos/cafiso/
If there is a work to be done by the Balinese, they will create a …

Banjar, or Balinese neighborhood organization, an aggregate of member families that plans, organizes, and executes the great majority of activities that makes up Balinese life. Anthropologist uses the term “hamlet” for banjar. The banjar is …

I Gusti Agung Ngurah Supartha, known to many in the USA through his spirited work at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington D.C., and in many programs throughout the world, died today in Bali. It was …

A dispute involving Balinese on both sides will likely be settled out of courtroom. The court is considered the last resort for justice and settlement by Balinese, avoided if possible. The Balinese prefer to settle …

Yayasan Kemanusiaan Ibu Pertiwi (YKIP) or the Humanitarian Foundation for Mother Earth is dedicated to helping the needy in Bali through health and education programs.

YKIP is a foundation dedicated to improving the lives of the …

The Rotary Club of Bali Ubud will be celebrating it sixth anniversary this year. During these past few years the Club has successfully worked on projects related to HIV AIDS and has put enormous …

For Balinese, security is a vital aspect of life especially the security of religious ceremony, to ensure the security of their religious ceremony, a traditional security force called pecalang. The word “pecalang” is derived from …

For Balinese cockfighting is not just a game, it is a social activity with complex system that an outsider will find it difficult to understand but for Balinese it is run in their blood. …

Balinese society is based on a strong patriarchal system. Son inherits everything, wealth, debt, religious and social obligations, family temple, and of course obligation to perform cremation ceremony for his parents. Balinese believes that only …

A cremation ceremony is a joyful moment, full of happiness and festivity, with tons of offerings, lavishly decorated cremation tower, energetic sound of Gamelan Balaganjur, elegant procession, and flocks of family, relatives, and Banjar members.

Theoretically, …

When death comes to a Balinese family and take away one of its members, it is no longer a family’s business. It is a community’s business. At this time the Balinese unity and sense of …

Gamelan in Balinese life has many essential functions; the gamelan’s primary function is to assist in the myriad of ceremonies required during each 210-day cycle of the Balinese Pawukon cycle, as well as those involved …

Past is something that cannot be separated from Balinese life. It penetrates deep into all aspect of Balinese everyday life. The position of a Balinese in his community, in socio-cultural life of the community, in …