As far as we know, in general bazaar is done by selling goods, foods, or sometimes items made by hand. It is normally sold with low price to attract people. Based on the Oxford Dictionary the definition of the word “bazaar” is a sale of goods, often items made by hand, to raise money for a charity or for people who need help. But there is a unique characteristic in bazaar a la Balinese. Before going further I’d like to share my friend’s experience about this kind of bazaar.

He is a Balinese but he was born and grew up in Jakarta. He came back to his home town to study in university. One day his uncle told him that there was bazaar in his banjar (ward) and he was so excited for that. When he got there he was surprised. Do you know why? Well, all the prices are twice more expensive than the normal ones. He was startled because in his thought he is going to buy food or goods in low price like in Jakarta.

In the era of 70s in Sanur, bazaar was held in Galungan only (Christmas a la Balinese ) by the member of the banjar ( hamlet / ward ) in order to give its community a chance to spend their money for snacks since all food stalls were closed during that day. And not all food, drinks or goods were sold in high price; only liquors such as beer, tuak, or arak (Balinese wine) were sold in inflated price to generate some profits and then the profit would be used to repair the banjar or temple on that area. But with the passing of the time there is a different concept arises in carrying out the bazaar.

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Ten or twenty years ago it was unthinkable to use Tuna for offering; turtle was the only sea creature use widely for offering besides the regular land animal such as pig, duck or chicken. The ban on using turtle for offering in early 1990s and the steady rise of pig, duck, and chicken price force Balinese to find alternative meat for offering and Tuna is the most favorite alternative meat.

Tuna meat has some advantages over other meats - the abundance of supply, cheap and simple cooking process. These contribute greatly for the popularity of Tuna as alternative meat for offering. Balinese usually purchase frozen Tuna, grind it and mix it with grated coconut and spices to make sate lilit for selam (a kind of offering which does not use pork) offering. The teenagers of Bali also love to make sate lilit from Tuna, eat as accompaniment of Tuak or Arak (traditional Balinese liquor) since it is quite affordable for their pocket.

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Cakepung is a male social performance, combination of singing and dancing, done strictly for recreation and amusement, and is found today only in Karangasem Regency and on Lombok, its former vassal state. This folk-performance derives its name onomatopoeically from the sound of its accompaniment, a rhythmic vocal sound similar to that produced by the cak chorus. In the accompaniment, two dozen vocalists chant ‘pung-cakapung’ in unison.

A performance of cakapung might take place any evening during leisure time. The dancers gather at about seven o’clock at the bale banjar with simple costume, a sarong, headdress, a shirt sometimes bare-chested. Some participants bring bottles of tuak (Balinese palm wine), brem (sweet wine) or arak (distilled palm wine).

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Brem, sweet rice wine that is usually found in traditional markets or roadside stalls large Bintang beer bottles is one of three popular Balinese liquors – other are arak, and tuak. Like arak and tuak, brem is in addition of being a beverage, a necessity for matabuh (offering liquid for bhuta kala, evil spirit, demon, etc) in almost all religious ceremonies. Very large quantities of it are made and used for that purpose. This is usually low grade, homemade brem, and it is often mixed with water. It is a pat of custom in some areas in Bali to bring a bottle of brem or two as a present for the family that hold a religious ceremony or as an offering in a temple anniversary.

Brem is made from glutinous or “sticky” white rice, known as ketan in Balinese, and a smaller amount of Indonesian black rice, called injin in bali. Both ketan and injin are less commonly used in cooking than common white rice, baas. The sticky ketan is made into various Balinese traditional cookies for offering and other religious purpose. The black injin, is made into delicious traditional dessert (jaja injin) by cooking and serving with brown palm sugar and coconut milk. Since injin is rather expensive, only enough is used in brem to impart the desired final color.

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Arak, most popular Balinese traditional liquor is distilled tuak (palm beer), and such it has much higher alcohol content than tuak. Arak is clear and colorless, and has a very sharp, biting taste. Since there is no fermentation going on, it can be bottled – in beer bottles– capped, and sold in almost all stores that the Balinese patronize but the bottled arak that is sold freely is low quality arak, for ceremonial purpose only. Arak for consumption purpose is a high quality one and illegal, sold secretly in small roadside stalls, only buyers that are known by the sellers are served.

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The great Tawur Kesanga, an extortion payment to the bhuta kala (personification of negative force) that is held a day before Nyepi (this year Nyepi falls on Monday 3/19/07) will not be complete without Tabuh Rah (spilling blood) ritual or cockfight as a matter of fact.

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