Symbolism of the Barong Landung: A China-Bali Connection
Listen to this article through the NOW! Bali Podcast: Available On:iTunes • Spotify • Google Podcasts • Pocket Casts • Radio Public Found in most banjars across Bali, the distinct appearance of the Barong Landung characters are unmistakeable in the assortment of Balinese religious effigies. This conspicuous couple, always found together, are at face-value just symbols of an old Balinese love story. However, digging
Nyepi, Siwa Ratri, and the Evolution of Balinese Religious Rites
Journalist Eric Buvelot and socio-ethnologist Jean Couteau have recorded 20 hours of discussion about changes that have happened in Bali since the 70’s. The conversation was structured and segmented according to many different aspects of Balinese life, mostly from a socio-historical perspective, to trace all the overturning in Balinese mores since 50 years, when modernity
The Relationship Between Bali & Indonesia: How Do They See Each Other?
Journalist Eric Buvelot and socio-ethnologist Jean Couteau have recorded 20 hours of discussion about changes that have happened in Bali since the 70’s. The conversation was structured and segmented according to many different aspects of Balinese life, mostly from a socio-historical perspective, to trace all the overturning in Balinese mores for the last 50 years,
Pawintenan: The Sacred Balinese Initiation
The shrill and accelerating jingle of the bell accompanies and almost drowns out the soft muttering of a man’s voice, lotus-sitting, in the small thatched pavilion, high above and alone, his head capped by an extraordinary tiara. This is a high priest performing meweda, a call addressed to the gods of the cardinal points, the
How Balinese Dance Has Changed — and What the Future Holds
Journalist Eric Buvelot and socio-ethnologist Jean Couteau have recorded 20 hours of discussion about changes that have happened in Bali since the 70’s. The conversation was structured and segmented according to many different aspects of Balinese life, mostly from a socio-historical perspective, to trace all the overturning in Balinese mores since 50 years, when modernity
The Changing Relationship Between the Balinese and their Environment
Journalist Eric Buvelot and socio-ethnologist Jean Couteau have recorded 20 hours of discussion about changes that have happened in Bali since the 70’s. The conversation was structured and segmented according to many different aspects of Balinese life, mostly from a socio-historical perspective, to trace all the overturning in Balinese mores since 50 years, when modernity
Explaining Bali’s Subak System (and Why Rice Fields are Cultural Landscapes)
In this episode of the NOW! Bali Podcast we help to unpack the complex subak irrigation system found in Bali. This system is far more than just an agricultural feature, it is a socio-cultural organisation that not only helps to ensure fertility of Bali’s rice fields but creates a connection between God, people and nature.
The Status of Balinese Women and its Evolution in Modernity
Journalist Eric Buvelot and socio-ethnologist Jean Couteau have recorded 20 hours of discussion about changes that have happened in Bali since the 70’s. The conversation was structured and segmented according to many different aspects of Balinese life, mostly from a socio-historical perspective, to trace all the overturning in Balinese mores since 50 years, when modernity
Are the Balinese Becoming ‘Hindu-Protestant’?
With respect to the small Protestant community of Bali, the title is not a joke. Because we may be witnessing a uniquely Balinese variation of what happened five hundred years ago in Europe with the Protestant Reformation… What did happen five hundred years ago in Europe? Not much at first, except that some people started
Penjor – Question Marks Against the Sky
Like most storied places around the world, much of today’s Bali is a modern variation on the romanticised images of yesterday. But during Galungan, the quintessential Balinese traditional ceremony, Bali’s roads are arched with enchanting reminders of its ancient past. These arches, made of curved and decorated bamboo poles, are penjor. The archetypal penjor are
The Caste System in Today’s Bali
In Bali there remains a caste system, an import of sorts from India. Whilst this caste system once ruled social strata on the island, modernity has changed and moulded the way it is handled and approached today. Michael’s Predicament Michael has a problem. He is an idealist and, at his little diving business in Tanjung
A Look into Bali’s ‘New Normal’
We usually follow a similar pattern in life. We then repeat this a certain number of times. Then, we call this our ‘normal life;. It is still normal, even when one country in the world has a virus that kills hundreds to thousand of people. Though embellished with a surreal feeling, knowing that it exists
Naur Sot and The Fulfillment of a Vow
The atmosphere was not a happy one in Pan Koncrong’s house. His daughter was lying in bed, feverish. An old medicine man (balian) had come and muttered a few magical words. But now he was gone, and neither his prayers to the gods, nor his potions were working. The child was lying helpless on the
