25 July 2006
TRIVANDRUM —Tens of thousands of Hindu devotees performed a unique ritual called ‘bali darpanam’ on the new moon day of the Malayalam month of Karkkidakam yesterday.

‘Bali’ is performed on the death anniversary of a person. But Karkitakavavu is a day common to all and performing the ritual on the day is believed to be auspicious.

Men and women assembled in large numbers on river banks and beaches and offered ‘bali’ (a mixture of boiled rice, turmeric and ocimum) amid chanting of mantras. Priests helped and guided the devotees in performing the rituals. The final step of the ritual is performed standing waist deep in a river or sea.

There was a heavy rush at Sankhumugham, Thiruvallam and Varkala Papanasam beaches in the capital district. Life guards were posted on the beaches in sufficient number as the sea has been rough for the past few days.

Good turnout was also reported from other places like Thirunavaya in Malappuram district, Varaikkal beach at Calicut, Thirunelli in Wayanad district and Alwaye in Ernakulam disitrict.

In many places, pandals were put up for the people to perform the ritual, followed by the ceremonial dip in the sea or the river.

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…with anger. All fled (including little children in the audience who suddenly ran for the cover of their mother’s sarongs).

We were electrified. Now what? How is Panji going to deal with that? Surely, only a powerful Brahmin can beat off this raging beast!

But there was no need to worry, for Rangda kicked over the metaphorical chess-board, the dancer impersonating her suddenly becoming possessed by her spirit, yelling something incoherently, jumping up and down, then arching his back and trembling. Men from the orchestra rushed to restrain him, the priest moved in to administer exorcism. But then things got out of hand altogether, for soon the chief attendant (the one who dances like a mechanical egg-beater) was possessed, too, writhing and screaming. There was a huge ado and a huge crowd of Indonesians descended with their cameras rolling.

As a guest in their country I did not feel I could importune my lens on what seemed like a very private matter. No photo. Use your imagination.

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By Gawain

This arts festival thing keeps getting bigger and bigger, like an alien plankton bloom swallowing everything in its path.

This year it is not just visible from space, but from Mars, and with a naked eye, too. Soon it will begin to spread all over the archipelago, and then the whole planet, until, in just a few years, the whole human race will rise at dawn to beat gongs and dance all day and then late into the night, until, exhausted with pleasure, we all simply collapse in the happy sleep of the exuberantly sinful.

(The economy will collapse, GDP will decline by 80% overnight, there will be a crash in housing prices, packages will no longer be delivered by UPS and the MacDonald’s opening hours will become extremely erratic (the sign on the locked door might say: “gone to ceremony, be back whenever its over. Or maybe not.”) But none of this will matter, because, we are all going to have — oh! — such fun!)

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The months of July through until September marks kite flying season on the island of Bali and the skies are filled with all sorts of wonderful handmade creations. Children learn to make their own kites from a very young age and limited resources such as a few strips of shaved bamboo, a plastic bag and length of string can be turned into a prized flyer.

There two common types of kites that the Balinese prefer to make and fly. There is a small lightweight fighting kite called rerean as well as a slightly larger traditional styled model that is referred to as bebean.

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Yet another religious occasion will be celebrated on Saturday 17^th February 2007 in accordance to the Balinese calendar. This day is known as Tumpek Kandang and offerings are made to honour animals, especially cows and pigs, which create a livelihood for ordinary Balinese villagers.

The word tumpek is originally derived from the ancient Javanese dialect and is similar to tempak or Saturday. The term kandang is Balinese and means cage or pen. From a Hindu perspective tumpek is an important day on the Balinese calendar and is believed to have great mystical value. The underlying message of Tumpek Kandang is one of respect. Love and devotion is not just restricted to mankind, but also the environment, animals and all living things.

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Wayang kulit, or shadow puppets as they are more commonly known as in English, are part of an ancient heritage of pre-Hindu culture that still exists in many regions around Indonesia. The word wayang means puppet, while kulit means skin. Wayang puppets are cut from thin pieces of buffalo hide and intricately carved and decorated to symbolize different characters. The figures are braced with a single support stick and often have articulating arms and legs that can be manipulated to act out dramatic scenes.

In Bali a wayang kulit performance is a popular form of village entertainment that invariably accompanies a religious ceremony or rite. Performances are usually adaptations of epic legends and tales that are retold in story form against a white cloth screen that is lit with a shimmering oil lantern.

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