Bali: a unique culture based on Hinduism. ‘Hindu Darma’.

Bali’s culture is based on Bali’s religion, Hinduism and is called ‘’Hindu Darma’’. Most of their customs and traditions are influenced by it. Balinese people are very religious and believe that everything has a soul and because of that it must be honored with offerings. You can find religious influence in every aspect of their life like music, art, dressing, painting and dance.

Bali’s music and traditional dances.

The most known orchestra music is gamelan. Balinese performing arts often are inspired by Hindu epics and are performed in order to please the Gods. The most famous are Barong which is a dance that indicates the battle between good and bad spirits, Legong which is strictly choreographed dance that doesn’t allow any changes and of course Kecak dance. In Kecak dance or so-called the monkey dance there isn’t any gamelan involved. It’s extremely impressive with chest naked man sitting in a circle giving the rhythm of a story often the epic "Ramayana".

‘’Subak and Banjar’’: the two organizations that plays important role in Bali’s way of life.

Balinese culture is guided mostly of two organization the Subak and the Banjar. Under Banjar are ceremonies like marriage, cremations, art festivals and temple repairs. On the other hand Subak is responsible for every day activities like the production of the rice, the irrigation system and the agricultural affairs.

Bali festivals and ceremonies. There is a daily form of festival all year round.

Whenever you visit Bali is certain that you will come across some sort of festival. First of all there is a ceremony for every aspect of men’s life from birth till death. Especially the cremation ceremonies are of utmost importance for the Balinese.They are called ngaben. Ngaben differ a lot of those of the western world.

They are a joyous and colorful event. Another festival is Galungan. It lasts 10 days and it symbolizes the victory of good against evil. Balinese believe that during those days gods come down to earth to feast with them. They decorate their right side of the entrance with a Penjor, which is a tall decorated bamboo.

There is also Nyepi. Nyepi is a holiday and it is Bali’s New Year. Nyepi is a day of silence. During that day everybody stays home. Even the tourists are encouraged to stay in their hotel. There is no activity, no traffic, and no amusement. Nyepi is the great purification and the absolute silence that keeps evil spirits away.