The Bali Travel Guide And Review - Part 2

Balinese Castes

The Balinese Hindu religion implies a traditional caste system though it has never been as dissentious as its Indian ascendent. This is for the most part due to the fact that over 90% of Balinese consist of to the lowest 'Sudra' caste, and in India would have been conceived as 'untouchable'. Given their dominance such postures in Bali would not be realistic. Still, inter-marriage continues to be rare and discouraged.

The three upper castes are together known as the 'Triwangsa' ('three peoples') representing Brahmana, Kesayatria and Wesia. Caste is specified by birth but is rarely reflected in a person's occupation, although only a Brahmana can be suited to be a Pedanda high priest, and only Brahmana may take the task of rectifying masks from the 'Barong' dance as they harbour the power to protect themselves from the evil spirits.

Balinese Names

Upon hearing a Balinese friends name, you can lay down some elements of his or her background. First Of All, the name will often point to the cast to which they belong. For instance, if you get together with someone named Ida Bagus, you recognize they belong to the highest Brahmana caste or, if they are called Gusti, they will almost for certain belong to the Wesia caste. The Balinese also distinguish their children in order of birth. Together with a personal name, unique in the family, a Balinese child will be awarded a more common name. The firstborn is often Wayan or Putu while the second born in general carries the name of Made or Kadek. The third child usually is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is always Ketut; with the birth of a fifth child, the naming cycle begins again.

Children

The Balinese dote on their children, a devotion that no doubt leads to the calm and relaxed demeanour of the island's population. At birth the baby's umbilical cord is buried with offerings to protect them throughout their lives. Until the child reaches three months of age, they are permanently carried as it is viewed to be unclean and disrespectful if they should touch the ground before that age. Balinese children are discouraged from crawling, believed to be only the actions of an animal, and learn to walk at a very young age. Upon reaching 105 days, the baby will be ornamented with bracelets and anklets. A further 105 days later, a ceremony is held to signify their entry into adulthood. The passage through puberty is celebrated with a tooth filing ceremony, aimed to flatten any pointed teeth that may represent evil and designed to restrict sinful emotions and natural actions such as greed, anger, jealousy, stupidity, and adultery.

The Indonesian government has traditionally been centralized in Java although recent evolutions in the nation's new democratic era provided a certain level of autonomy to the provinces. Nevertheless any major decisions concerning Bali are still made in Jakarta, despite the fact that Bali's governor is in a better position to tailor policy to this unique enclave. Bali is divided up into eight districts, roughly equivalent to the old kingdoms. Each district is then divided into subdistricts, villages and banjars with leaders of their own. The Banjar is the most basic level and in the first place deals with local 'adat' or traditional law.

Religion

Bali is a predominantly Hindu Island, enduring in an Islamic nation. Minority populations of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists are also found on the island.

Little is known of the founding of Hinduism in Bali though it doubtlessly involved the Indian traders who came to these parts for the spice trade over two thousand years ago. Given its physical isolation from the ancestral religion, Balinese Hinduism has since developed into a unique version of the ancient faith. Although the fundamentals remain the same, many of the gods revered on Bali are unknown in India and vice versa. Vast Hindu kingdoms were also found in neighbouring islands but they disappeared soon after the Arabs became interested in the archipelago, bringing with them Islam to Indonesia's shores. Bali maintained little interest for the Arab traders so it was largely left alone. Throughout Indonesia, traditional beliefs in mysticism and the spiritual world continue to be strong, despite the common practice of imported faiths that forbid such strong beliefs.

While the impact this has had on the Islamic faith is often controversial, for the Balinese, the two have simply blend to create the distinctive religion they follow today.

Balinese Temples

The biggest celebration in Bali is that of Nyepi, the Balinese New Year. In the weeks leading up to Nyepi, each Balinese village laboriously creates an elaborate giant paper mache "ogah ogah". On the eve of Nyepi, men from the village parade these creations through the streets, setting off firecrackers and ceremoniously fighting the ogah ogah's from other villages. This lively festival represents the purging of all evil from the island of Bali. Late that night, before Nyepi officially begins, each village must set fire to their ogah ogah, thereby banishing the bad spirits from their village. These days these giant statues are really quite spectacular and competition means much time and money can be spent. As a result some villagers are reluctant to destroy their works of art as required by their religion, creating some discontent and criticism from the community. After all this commotion, on the day of Nyepi, no Balinese may leave their home or light their lamps. The more devout will spend the day preying with their families. This rule of no activity applies to tourists as well and the streets are policed to ensure absolute silence.

to be continued.....

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