Share Bali Indonesia experience with the rest of readers and exchange information, write to our blog instantly NOW!!!
Compounds which provide comfort and privacy.
Sweeping views of lush rice terraces and tropical woodlands draw the eye along the valley to the mountains. Experience the ambience of the Royal Family and it’s daily activities.
In every part of their daily life Balinese deal not just with the mortal but also with the inhabitants of supernatural realm which in the eye of the visitors always complicate even a very simple activity of a Balinese. The inhabitants of supernatural realm range from deified ancestors to evil spirit, from gods to demons have always to be taken into consideration on every activity of a Balinese, since Balinese believe they contribute a great deal to the success and failure of an activity.
Prior to every important ceremony, a matur piuning (informing) ceremony is hold to inform the inhabitants of supernatural realm that an important ceremony will take place and ask for their support. When a Balinese want to build a house, the spirits which dwell on the spot where the house is going to be build have to be informed about the project and have to be appeased with a certain offering.
Though all inhabitants of the supernatural world affect the life of a Balinese in one way or another but the spirits of ancestors or deified ancestors give the most significant effect. Like the living member of the family the ancestors’ spirit have to be consulted when making an important decision or holding a great ceremony, sometimes their words are laws that Balinese are reluctance to break since it can incite divine rage which always end up with misfortunes and sicknesses. When there is a serious problem or sickness in the family, the living members of the family will seek help from a Balian Taksu (Shaman) to enable them to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors, asking for solution of the problem or remedy for the sickness.
Excellent, magnificent, incredible, beautiful, these adjectives are overuse when describing a Balinese dance and musical performance, but these adjectives are definitely not good enough to describe the Balinese dance and musical performances on the first day of Mengenang Sang Guru: A Tribute to Anak Agung Gde Mandera and Gusti Made Sengog, Sunday, 8/26/07.
Left: Gabor (Pendet) dance, middle & right: Legong Lasem dance
The performances on the first day of Mengenang Sang Guru: A Tribute to Anak Agung Gde Mandera and Gusti Made Sengog could be called the performances of the veterans in which the older generation of the pupils of Anak Agung Gde Mandera (affectionately called ‘Gungkak’) and Gusti Made Sengog (affectionately called ‘Niang Sengog’) showed their affection to the late teachers with a brilliant dance performances. The oldest dancers that night were in their early seventy and the youngest were in their late forty.
Legong Lasem dance
Nestled in the middle of a rice field plantation in Canggu, Desa Seni Village Resort is only a short stroll to the beach, 10 minutes to the bustling hub of Seminyak and 20 minutes from the Bali’s International Airport.
Desa Seni Village Resort is a village resort providing an authentic Indonesian experience through the exploration of culture, religion, food and complete wellness.
There was a kingdom named Singgasana which is located in Tabanan. The King of Singgasana was a wise ruler and had one prime wife (prami) and several concubines (penawing). From the prami he had a son named Arya Rangon , he was the oldest children so he would replace his father as a king soon or later but he had bad temper, envious and jealous to his other brothers. From the penawing he had several sons and daughters but the most prominent of all was Ki Pucangan. He was named Ki Pucangan since his mother came from the village of Buahan. Ki Pucangan was the favorite of Tabanan people since he was kind and wise.
Arya Rangon hated Ki Pucangan to extreme point because when he was grown up he had a chance to be named as the successor since Tabanan people loved him. Arya Rangon contrived many attempts to kill Ki Pucangan but Ki Pucangan always managed to escape. One day Arya Rangon told Ki Pucangan to cut the biggest bough of a sacred banyan tree which grew in the center of the kingdom. The banyan tree was inhabited by evil spirits and demons no one dared to even to climb or linger around the tree. Ki Pucangan obeyed his step brother order, he climbed the tree and cut the biggest bough, he even sat on the falling bough, he felt to the ground but he suffered no injury.
The penjor is a tall bamboo pole (7 meters high) whose drooping top is symbolic of the holy mountain (Mt. Agung) and all the wonderful daily things the mountain supplies to the Balinese people. This symbol has been around for a thousand years, in various forms. Each family erects this symbol in front of their house.
We lived in a village this last Galungan, with a Balinese family, and experienced the day to day activities of constructing the penjor. This is a chore for the male members of the family ( our Balinese family had 6 males ) and took place over three days preceeding Galungan. Galungan is a kind of all Saints day, when gifts were given freely ( new clothes for the children, etc.). It also starts the new year ( Balinese calendar of 210 days in each year ). Last time I was here Galungan was in Sept, but this year it was in July.
Loading ...