Traditions, Religion and Rituals of Bali

Tropical island of Bali is situated in the Indian Ocean and it is one of 13 000 Indonesian islands. It’s called “the morning of the world”, “a pearl of the tropics” and “the island of gods”. It’s known for its beaches, mountains, lakes and healing springs. It has become a popular resort boasting luxury hotels and excellent service.

One of the most special things on Bali is its religion - a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism is unique and Balinese ritual performances are really worth seeing.

Bali people took a lot from Chinese, Indians, Malayans and Melanesians. Like Indians they have a complicated scheme of castes. Each caste has its own rights and privileges, but the system is not so strict as in India.

Religion plays an important role in the life of the society. Balinese Hinduism or agama tirta (agama hindu) combines Buddhism, Hinduism, spiritualism, magic and the worship of ancestors. This form of religion appeared in IX century. The main divinity of Balinese pantheon is Sanghyang Widi. Religious believers are not allowed to talk to him directly - only through other gods. Balinese trinity consists of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer).

Bali has about 20000 temples, which means that every village has minimum three religious buildings. Six of these numerous temples have historical value.

Balinese pay a lot of attention to the funeral ceremony. Cremation, carrying out according to all rules, guarantees afterlife in paradise. Some people put by money for the ceremony during the whole life. Different castes have different attributes. For example, a funeral tower for Brahmin will be about 11 stores, and for the commoner - about 5-7. Sarcophagus for the Brahmin must be in the shape of the bull, for the warrior - in the shape of the fish. Commoners have no special form for their coffins. For the ideal reincarnation the body must be decorated and it’s necessary to put something gold in the mouth. The also put flowers on the nose of the dead (to make him or her always surrounded by the incense). Funeral tower also should be decorated with everything a man might need after death.

Another tradition on Bali is sacred dances. They still accompany all the religious ceremonies. The most popular dances are legong, fire dance, kechak (dance of the monkeys) and barong. Legong is danced by the small girls (about 8-12 of age) and they present angels.

One of the most spectacular shows is ballet based on the famous epos - Ramayana. During some celebrations this performance could last for several days.

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