Jean Couteau
Tumpek Kandang: The Holy Day for Animals
Tumpek Kandang is a day dedicated to Sang Hyang Rare Angon, the god of all cattle and livestock. On this day, domesticated animals on the island will receive great attention; the cows are washed in the river and dressed up like human beings, with special cone-shaped spirals made of coconut leaf placed on their horns.
Magedong-Gedongan: Ceremonies for the Incarnating Soul
One is not born in Bali the way one is born in most parts of the world: one reincarnates, and one does so in a very particular way. Let us give it a look, such as it is still known in popular lore. First the soul (atma), still hanging about in the world, has to
Yamaraja: Magical Drawings of the Bugbug Temple Festival
The Balinese are known for putting up extraordinary shows during their temple festivals. Most popular are the processions and dances that take place on these occasions. But there are other aspects that are no less extraordinary. One of them is the roughly 13-metre long drawing on the ground which is ceremoniously made in Bugbug every
Tumpek Landep: Bali Blesses its Metals
If you find yourself in Bali on the day called Tumpek Landep, you will be surprised to see offerings put on cars, motorbikes, machines and metal instruments of all types. For which purpose, you will certainly wonder? So let us explain it to you. Tumpek Landep is the day dedicated to metal in the 210-day
Understanding Hari Saraswati, Bali’s Day of Knowledge
The Balinese-Hindu have a day dedicated to the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. She is said to rule over books, lontar manuscripts and all objects of knowledge. On her festival day, all these objects may not be used, as they are presented with offerings. The ritual is done in one’s private house for one’s own books,
The Bali Bombings: A Balinese-Hindu Philosophical Perspective
Every year, on the 12 of October we in Bali remember the horrors of the Bali Bombing in 2002. How many react to the memory is sadly with the typical anger fostered by our cultural and political obsession – i.e. the contemporary fear of extremism – as well as a deep mourning for those lost.
The Ancestors’ Cult
The cult of the ancestors is the deepest and most indigenous element of the Balinese religion, and still dominates much of the ritual life of the local people. Let us give a look at this cult, such as it survives in Bali. The souls of the ancestors reside in a place often called the “Old
A History of Islam in Bali: A Story of Tolerance
Indonesia is a nation of 273 million people, 88% of whom are registered as Muslim. Bali is the only region of the country where the majority of the population is Hindu – although Balinese Hindus, make up only 1.7% of the Indonesian population. In Bali, 90% of the population is classified as Hindu, but the
Gustra Adnyana: Photography Through the Eyes of a Brahmin
If you are living in Bali, or have often visited the island, you may not know the man, but you are likely to have seen his wonderful photographs of some of the most secret rites and ceremonies of Bali. This photographer’s name is Gustra, or, in its full brahmana name, Ida Bagus Putra Adnyana (64).
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
Blind : An Illusion of Beauty in Pandemic Bali
Since Covid penetrated the country, I often go to Sanur. I already have a favourite spot there: the soft, empty chairs from the Hotel Sindhu café, right on the beachfront. There, I look pensively out to where the land, sea and sky meet. I contemplate nature, the meaning of life and death. From my favourite
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
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
