Culture

Vast areas of paddy fields welcome travellers to Jembrana, Bali’s most western regency. The views are spectacular when passing through the border that separates Tabanan and Jembrana regencies, where the green farms expand out into a blue, ocean backdrop. When it’s time for harvest, the fields turn gold, shining under the Bali sun. Whilst most […]

If you take a stroll along the shopping precincts of Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud, you can quickly become overwhelmed by the presence of commercial art. Art shops line the streets selling all manner of western and locally inspired artworks. Visitors may ponder: “Where can I see the best of the local traditional or contemporary art?” […]

The girl woke up and lifted her well-balanced shoulders. A watchful look came into her beautiful, Bambi eyes as an elderly woman of 70 or so approached her. “Enough is enough,” said the latter. “You’d better accept your fate! Don’t forget that you are a Dayu and that the choice of your husband is not […]

It seems there is a ceremony for everything in Bali! Another ceremony you’ll find on the Island of the Gods is a house blessing ceremony, known locally as Melaspas. This involves a priest, prayers and offerings that will cleanse every corner of the house and its compound. The Melaspas ceremony is mandatory before moving into […]

Bali has been dubbed the ‘Island of the Gods’, but could just as easily be referred to as the ‘Island of a Thousand Temples’. These temples, being sacred sites for the Balinese Hindus as worshipping places, are also important features on the island’s calendar of events and festivities. Bali’s unique calendar system, known as pawukon, […]

This painting by a woman artist, Ni Wayan Warti, has a stable composition and does not challenge the viewer with either complex iconography, or spatial ambiguity. This is a village at peace and, according to the artist, was done for her own satisfaction. The painting is called Galungan, after a major, island wide ceremony in […]

One of the most satisfying phenomenon’s of Bali’s recent modern development has been the birth of an array of art and creative, multi-purpose spaces that serve as platforms for community co-working and engagement. Kulidan Kitchen Space, a new initiative in the rice fields of the Guwung village, Sukawati, fifteen minutes from Denpasar, is one such […]

The ancestors’ cult, for some reason, is deemed irrational. Is it for this reason that established religions are doing their best to eradicate it? Indonesia is a case in point, regarding both Islam and Balinese Hinduism. In Indonesian Islam, the main point of contention between the two principal Moslem organisations, Mohammadiah and Nadhadul Ulama, is […]

With climate change taking effect around the planet, we can now expect to have downpours as early as September here in Bali, when the days are supposed to be sunny. So, in case you’re throwing an outdoor, cliff-edge party this month, you may have to consider involving a little bit of ‘magic’ to make sure […]

The dancers arrived at the stage just like a troop of warriors. Their feet pacing in perfect unison. They were dressed beautifully. Their costume is a modification of that found in the Baris soldier dance, a common traditional dance performed by male dancers. The costume shouts dominance with its bright red and gold, sparkling under […]