Besides the dim history on the carnage of PKI – Partai Komunis Indonesia (Indonesia Communist Party) in Jembrana regency there is another story of love and tolerance inside. This is on religions in Jembrana where Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant live together in harmony. They have created the villages of tolerance for them selves especially and for Bali generally.

Penjor. flickr.com/photos/kaiconragan/

On this Chritmas Day there are two Christian communities who are celebrating it. They are the Protestant of Abyasari Village and the Catholic of Palasari Village. Albeit they are not Hindu, they celebrate Christmas in Hindu’s way by killing pigs for the Christmas meal two days before the D-day (like the Hindu on Penampahan Galungan). They also make penjor (highly decorated bamboo poles) and using the Hindu traditional clothes (kebaya, belt, and sarong — for women and udeng hat, double sarongs – for men) when going to church.

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The feeling of tranquility and peacefulness are the first impressions that captivate the heart of the visitor upon entering the village of Palasari. Palasari is a catholic outpost in the sea of Hindu, situated in the heart of Jembrana regency and surrounded by the forest and coconut plantations. Palasari can be reached with three hours drive from Denpasar, around 120 km.
The history has it; the first Catholic missionary arrived in Bali on Easter Day 1936 and in a short period converted a number of people in Tuka, a village, which is about 10 kilometers north of Denpasar.

The first Catholic church established in this village, the head of the Tuka Church at that time was Father Simon Buis. In 1940, he requested from the Dutch administration and Bali’s Board of Kings and was granted a plot of land in the lush forest of Pangkung Sente in Jembrana for his congregation to live since their was no place for the congregation in Denpasar at that time. In September 1940 Father Buis and his followers moved to the forest and settled in a village, now known as Palasari from the nutmeg trees that surround the village at that time. The word “palasari” is derived from the word “pala” means “nutmeg” and the word “sari” means “essence”.

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