Balinese art

When people are thinking about Bali, they usually think about the famous and amazing landscapes: endless rice fields, beautiful beaches of white sand, amazing surf spots, huge temples, mountains and a lot of arts frequently performed by Balinese people: and so on.

Bali is a destination that has so much to offer if you try to discover its culture deeper. It is a place where you can combine every pleasure while discovering an extraordinary culture and the value of human kindness that no one can imagine.

The main characteristic of Balinese people is the art to combine discretion and curiosity over people they meet. Foreigners are really well-welcomed by the local population who are exceptionally warm and respectful. This kindness is due to the influence of their religious culture which is an important part of their daily habits. The religion is very important for most of the Balinese people, they are really diligent with all the daily offerings and ceremonies reported on their religious schedule. That can explain why the island is called “The Island of Gods”: religion is everywhere, visible in the streets and anchored in daily life.

The Balinese Hindu religion is not quite the same as the one in India. In Bali, this religion is adapted and inspired by the influence of the ancient indigenous beliefs. In the traditional villages called “Bali Aga”, this indigenous tradition is more existing. The religion keeps close links with nature and the forebears. Each element (tree, forest, rice field…) is the property of a spirit, honored by an altar where many offerings are given.

Each village has 3 temples, one dedicated to the forebears, one dedicated to the death that keeps the cemetery, and the last one called “Pura Desa” which is the spiritual heart of the village. In total, Bali counts no less than 5617 temples.

In each temple, you could notice a fabric with black and white tiles that decorate the statues. For Balinese Hinduism, the world is a place where good and evil live together, a balance between these two is important. This fabric is the symbol of this balance, it progressively becomes grey with the junction of the two colors.

Balinese wear the most beautiful traditional clothes during religious ceremonies or to attend a wedding for example. Balinese women would look almost like princesses in their brightly colored outfits. For the men's an aura of serenity emerges from them. Behind these colors, there’s a signification.

For women, hair is important. In order to look like the beautiful Drupadi Princess, the bun is the favorite hairstyle of the Balinese. According to tradition, all women must carefully tie their hair, for those with short hair locks of hair are added. They must tie their hair so that they don’t fall into the area of ​​the temples and preserve the sacral temple. For special events, such as a wedding, their tooth filing, a lot of golden metal flowers are stitched into their hair.

Before women were dressed in a long piece of cloth, more than three meters, around their chest, called sabuk. Nowadays, the Balinese wear the kebaya, beautiful long-sleeved shirts, colorful lace and transparent, and below the corsets. With fashion, the shirts become shorter and now reaches the elbow. Around the waist, they wear a sarong, a piece of cloth carried to the ankles, and finally the selendang, the belt is tied to it.

Always well assorted, the whole is very colorful!
The traditional men's outfit consists of a white shirt and a kamben around the waist and covered with another slightly shorter fabric of another color called the saput. The traditional belt is put on the shirt. The Balinese carry the turban on their head, this one is a udang with two petals symbolizing good and evil.

Originally, the kebaya must be of the color of purity and glory, white symbolize purity and yellow triumph. It’s only during cremation that the Balinese women wear dark colors. However, exceptions are made according to castes.

Today, the Balinese follow more fashion, luxury, and this is felt according to social status.

Bali babies don’t start off life on the right foot, or even on the left!

Indeed, in traditional villages, Balinese babies are not allowed to touch the ground until they are three months old. This practice comes from the belief that newborns are sacred and deserve to be treated with veneration. The result is that babies are constantly being carried by their mothers or close family members. Besides the spiritual connection, wouldn’t it be nice to be cuddled all the time?

After 105 days a special ceremony named Nyabutan or Nyambutin is held to celebrate the baby finally touching Mother Earth. A priest is invited to lead the ceremony, and there are various purification rituals, chantings, and blessings. The priest blesses the baby with holy water, and allow the baby’s feet to finally touch the floor. When the baby's feet touch the ground for the very first time, it symbolizes that he is now a full and real human.