The culture inherited by the ancestors, if preserved until now, will certainly become a unique culture, as we can find in many parts of Indonesia, including Bali, the heritage or cultural heritage of the past, many of which come from ancient Balinese heritage and become one of the cultural heritages of the past. the way of life of a group of people that is still traditional and is something that is very interesting to know, not only for tourists, but also for local residents.
BALI CULTURE
Balinese culture is famous for its dance, performing arts, and carving arts. Covarrubias observes that every Balinese deserves to be called an artist, because there are various artistic activities that they can do—apart from their busy lives as farmers, traders, coolies, drivers, and so on—starting from dancing, playing music, painting, sculpting, singing, to dancing. play the play. Even in a dilapidated village one can find a beautiful temple, skilled gamelan players, and even talented actors. Even the offerings made by Balinese women have an artistic side to the intertwined pieces of coconut leaves and the neat and towering arrangement of fruits. According to Covarrubias, Balinese artists are amateur craftsmen, who carry out artistic activities as a form of offering, and do not care whether their names will be remembered or not. Balinese artists are also good imitators, so there are temples that are decorated with carvings resembling Chinese gods, or decorated with reliefs of motorized vehicles, which they sample from foreign magazines. Gamelan is a vital musical art form in various traditional Balinese events. Each type of music is adapted to the event. Music for piodalan (anniversary) is different from the music that accompanies metatah (tooth sharpening), as are weddings, cremations, melasti, and so on. The various gamelans are also adapted to the various types of dances that exist in Bali. According to Spies, the art of dance makes the life of the Balinese people whole as well as being an important element in an endless series of traditional and personal ceremonies. As in Java, the Balinese are also familiar with wayang performances, but with wayang forms that are more human-like than Javanese puppets. The Balinese also have unique aspects related to their religious traditions. Their religious life is a syncretism between Hindu-Buddhist religion and Balinese traditions.
Types of Culture on the Island of Bali Following are the various unique traditions that exist in several places on the island of Bali, as well as detailed explanations below;
Trunyan Village Cemetery Human skulls in Trunyan Village In general, people who die in Bali, especially for Hindus, besides being buried, can be burned or cremated directly, however, a unique tradition with a different culture can be found in Trunyan Kintamani Village, Bangli Regency, which is also one of the Bali Aga village. When a person dies, the body or body of that person is only placed under the incense tree, the body is placed on the ground without being buried, only fenced off by bamboo (ancak serve) so as not to be searched by wild animals or animals, strangely not a bit of the body stinks, until finally only the bones remain, and the bones will later be placed in a place in the area, this Trunyan cemetery completes the list of unique cultures and traditions of the archipelago – Indonesia. Because of this uniqueness, the Trunyan traditional village cemetery has become a tourist destination on the island of Bali which is a tourist destination.
Melasti Ceremony in Bali
Melasti is held once a year in the series of Nyepi Day in Bali, however, the Melasti ceremony is also performed on certain days during the piodalan at a temple according to the specified day. Melasti is known as mekiis or melis to places of water sources such as the sea, lakes or springs. However, Melasti or Melis on the island of Bali is simultaneously held once a year, which is 3-4 days before Nyepi around March. When Melasti, all pretima, nawa sanga weapons, umbul-umbul and kober are paraded to water sources such as to the sea to be purified and washed away all evils of the earth or dirt, it is also intended to wash away all human suffering through the water of life, and then purify oneself with angamet (taking ) tirta amertha, to get the essence of life. These cultures and traditions are the cultural heritage of Balinese ancestors that are well preserved to this day.
Bali dance
is a variety of dances originating from the island of Bali. Balinese dance does not always depend on the storyline. The main goal of Balinese dancers is to dance each stage of movement and sequence with full expression. The beauty of Balinese dance can be seen in the abstract and beautiful movements. The most well-known Balinese dances include Pendet, Gambuh, Baris, Sanghyang and Legong. Most Balinese dances have religious significance. Since the 1950s, with the rapid development of tourism, several dances have been performed at activities outside of religious events with some modifications.
Ogoh-ogoh
One art that is popular among Balinese teenagers is ogoh-ogoh. Almost all youth organizations make ogoh-ogoh ahead of Nyepi Day. Ogoh-ogoh is a doll statue made of woven bamboo, wood, newsprint, and others. The shape of the ogoh-ogoh does look scary. This is because ogoh-ogoh is a symbol of the ugliness of bhuta kala. After being paraded around the village or city, the ogoh-ogoh must be burned to remove the bad influence of bhuta kala on earth. Nowadays, the ogoh-ogoh art works are getting more interesting and extraordinary.
Sculpture
Wood carving is an art that is synonymous with Bali. When we travel to the Island of the Gods, for example, we can find carving art in various forms. Starting from ornaments in restaurants, hotel interiors, to sculpture carvings found in galleries. Balinese wood carvings is the work of art by wood carving artists who have dedicated themselves to preserving Balinese traditional cultural heritage. They are also consistent in producing works. Wood carving has balanced values between spiritual, religious, and commercial aspects. This aspect has a special place in the heart, not only for Balinese artists and people, but also in the eyes of the audience.