Venggy Reylandhie Frihantoro Dunie

30120111051
The Culture Of Balinese
Since the proclamation of independence until now has a lot of experience gained of our
nation about the life of nation and State. In the Republic of Indonesia, the reference
manual for the life of a nation and a country that is the values and norms contained in
the Pancasila and the Constitution, as the source and the design for the formation of national
culture.
The

definition given

by Koentjaraningrat can

be

seen

from his

statement:

"the

distinctive quality of any ethnic origin, origin could identify themselves and give rise to a
sense

of pride,

that's

the national

culture and ethnic region that

of Indonesia should be

culture". This

could give

shown to

rise

represent

statement refers

to a

sense

to

the

peaks of

of pridefor

the people

a shared identity. Nunus

Supriadi,

was "Regional Culture and national culture" culture can be shown in the country to foster a
sense of nationalism of young people in favour of cultural development.
lately, many young people are already helping indonesia in promoting the culture of each. for
that I want to help in promoting culture in indonesia have one is the Balinese culture.
Balinese has many kind of local culture. Here I will introduce briefly about sixth of these
cultures.
First, dance and drama. The lifestyles of Balinese people is expressed in their dance. Not
only do we learn about the Balinese religion from their dance creations but also we can come
to understand the flow of cultural events and activities that belong to everyday life. We can
discover Balinese attitudes, how we look at nature, and how we regard the fauna and flora.
The very essence of the Balinese culture is dance and drama, which is performed during
temple festivals and in ceremonies. The dances performed in hotels is a small fraction of what
Balinese dance has to offer. Balinese dance goes as far back as Balinese written history with
much of the heritage originating from Java. Ironically, as a result of the Islamisation of Java,
the Javanese culture has disappeared but has still survived in Bali and has become part of

classical Balinese culture. Balinese dance cannot be separated from religion. Even the dances
for the tourists are preceded by many dancers praying at their family shrine
for taksu (inspiration) from the gods.
Dance fulfils a number of specific functions: It may be a channel for visiting gods or demons,
the dancers acting as a sort of living repository. It may be as a welcome for visiting gods. It
may be entertainment for visiting gods. The typical posture of Balinese dance has the legs
half-bent, the torso shifted to one side with the elbow raised and lowered in a gesture that
displays suppleness of the hands and fingers. The torso is shifted in symmetry with the arms.
If the arms are to the right, the shifting is to the left and vice-versa. Examples of dance and
drama in bali culture is The Ramayana, The Yudapati Dance, the Panyembrama Dance, The
Semarayana Dance, The SangHyang Jaran Dance,
The Welcome Dance - Tari Panyembrama
The Panyembrama is probably the most popular Balinese social dance. In keeping with its
meaning in the Balinese Language, Panymebrama is frequently staged to welcome guests of
honour who are making a visit to this islands of the Gods. Four or eight young girls bearing
a bokor, a heavily engraved bowl made from silver or aluminium, laden with flowers, dance
expressively to the accompaniment of vibrant gamelan music.During the dance, the flowers
are scattered over the guest or audience as an expression of welcome. The panyembrama is
no relation to the other dances as well as religious or sacredceremonies, but only those made
to welcome guests and entertainment.
The Semarayana Dance
Semarayana dance is a dance that was developed by Ms. Ni Nyoman Sri Armita as a subject
for her thesis to the Indonesia Arts Academy in Denpasar for her graduation. The dance tells
the story of the main character is Dewi Chandra Kirana, a princess from the Kingdom of
Daha whodisguised as a young man so he could crawl and search for her beloved who had
disappeared without a trace. The main character is Dewi Chandra Kirana, a princess from the
kingdom of Daha who disguised herself as a male youth so she could venture out and seek
her beloved who had disappeared without a trace.
Princess was unrecognisable as a female. The symbol of manhood which fooled people she
met on the road, was the use of the Balinese male headgear called the Destar. It is made from

material that wraps around the head and has an artistic formation of bunched material at the
front. Dewi meets her beloved but due to her disguise and the fact that he is partly obscured
when they meet, a fight develops. In the ensuing melee, the princess's destar is knocked from
her head and her sweetheart, Raden Inu Kertapati, recognises her and rushes to her side to
embrace her. And, of course, they lived happily ever after.
The Sanghyang Jaran Dance
The unique feature of the Sanghyang Jaran dance is the courage of the dancers who in a state
of Kesurupan or trance, calmly step and trample on red hot coals just as if they were walking
in cold water. This dance is believed to have the power to invite the gods or sacred spirits to
enter the body of the dancers and put them in a state of trance. It dates back to the ancient
Pre-Hindu culture, a time when the Balinese people strongly believed that a dance could
eliminate sickness and disease. The is dance is usually performed in the fifth or sixth month
of the Balinese traditional calendar as it is believe that during these particular months, the
Balinese are vulnerable to all kinds of illnesses.
The War Dance - Gebug Ende
The Gebug Ende is a combination of dance and trial of prowess. It is usually performed by
two to sixty male dancers who dance and fight on stage in pairs. Each dancer/fighter carries a
one and a half metre long rattan stick as as a weapon and a shield called an ende. During the
performance the two men try to beat one another with the stick while using the ende to
protect themselves. The dance is called Gebug Endeas it literally means beating the ende or
shield. One cannot afford to make mistakes in this dance as otherwise injury results.
The Gebug Ende is quite unique as it has certain rules that have to be followed by the
participants. Led by a jury, this dance starts with two dancers, while the rest sit in a circle,
cracking jokes and singing, while waiting their turn. The jury decide which of the two
contestants loses the game and has to leave the stage. Then they will call the next men to the
stage. This continues until all have had a turn. Sometimes the fight becomes very fierce and
the dancers get thrown of the stage from the blows of the rattan stick. Bruises and wounds are
common in this ritual.
Legong Trunajaya - The dance of love and emotions

The Trunajaya dance describes the emotions of a young man through love and passion. The
dance

movements

reflect

the

theme

of

courtship

and

love.

Truna meaning 'single' and jaya meaning 'to win' immediately gives an understanding of the
dance. Ironically, the dancer are young women who take on the role of young men. The
women wear a 'destar' normally worn by men and an unusual loin-cloth called a 'kancut'. The
Trunajaya is normally danced by a single female but sometimes two, dancing together in
synchronous movements and to the mesmorotic sounds of the 'Gong Kebyar', a fast, rhythmic
beat which goes in harmony to the dance. The dance was created by Wayan Wandres, from
Singaraja, Northern Bali.
The second culture of balinese is ngaben. Ngaben or the Cremation Ceremony is the ritual
performed to send the dead through the transition to his next life. The village Kul Kul,
hanging in the tower of the village temple, will sound a certain beat to announce the
departure of the deceased. The body of the deceased will be placed at Bale Delod, as if he
were sleeping, and the family will continue to treat him as if he were still alive yet sleeping.
No tears are shed, for he is only gone temporarily and he will reincarnate into the family.
The Priest consults the Dewasa to determine the proper day for the ceremony. On the day of
the ceremony, the body of the deceased is placed inside a coffin which is then placed inside a
sarcophagus in the form of a buffalo (called Lembu) or a temple structure called Wadah made
of paper and light wood. The Wadah will be carried to the village cremation site in a
procession.
The climax of Ngaben is the burning of the Wadah, using fire originating from a holy source.
The deceased is sent to his afterlife, to be reincarnated in the future.
The third culture is textile of bali. The Batik of Bali provides another venue of showing the
artistic excellence of the Balinese people. Their beautiful designs, inspired by religious
mythologies to everyday encounters, spread throughout the world. Originally stimulated by
Javanese motifs, dominated by wayang and other mythological characters, contemporary
batik artists have also experienced artistic development that parallels that of paintings.
Modern batik artists express themselves through various subjects, from objects of nature such
as birds or fish to daily activities such as cremation (ngaben) procession or tourist attractions
as well as religious and mythological stories, accompanied by modern interpretation.

The Ikat and Double Ikat are two amazing techniques that the Balinese have perfected. A
piece of Ikat cloth is woven in such a way that the ink is 'tied' (which is what 'ikat' literally
translates to) in one of the two threads. A Double Ikat recursively repeats this technique; both
threads contain ink. The ink will bleed to its neihboring area, and the result is a piece of cloth
with distinctive, subtle patterns.
The village of Tenganan is well known for its superb double ikat work. A good piece of
double ikat may take months to complete, and it usually belongs to the family heirloom.
Certain patterns, such as the black and white, checkered, double ikat are considered to have
protective powers against the evil spirits. Thus, they are used a lot to cover or to dress statues
that guard the entrance to a temple or sacred masks like Barong.
Fouth culture is Balis Day Silence.
Westerners open the New Year in revelry, however, in contrast, the Balinese open their New
Year in silence. This is called Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of Silence, which falls on the day
following the dark moon of the spring equinox, and opens a new year of the Saka Hindu era
which began in 78 A.D.
Nyepi is a day to make and keep the balance of nature. It is based on the story of when King
Kaniska I of India was chosen in 78 A.D. The King was famous for his wisdom and tolerance
for the Hinduism and Buddhism societies. In that age, Aji Saka did Dharma Yatra (the
missionary tour to promote and spread Hinduism) to Indonesia and introduce the Saka year.
The lead upto Nyepi Day is as follow Tawur Kesanga (the day before Nyepi)
Exactly one day before Nyepi, all villages in Bali hold a large exorcism ceremony at the main
village cross road, the meeting place of demons. They usually make Ogoh-ogoh (the fantastic
monsters or evil spirits or the Butha Kala made of bamboo) for carnival purposes. The Ogohogoh monsters symbolize the evil spirits surrounding our environment which have to be got
rid of from our lives . The carnivals themselves are held all over Bali following sunset.
Bleganjur, a Balinese gamelan music accompanies the procession. Some are giants taken
from classical Balinese lore. All have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair and are illuminated
by torches.The procession is usually organised by the Seka Teruna, the youth organisation of
Banjar. When Ogoh-ogoh is being played by the Seka Teruna, everyone enjoys the carnival.
In order to make a harmonic relation between human being and God, human and human, and
human and their environments, Tawur Kesanga is performed in every level of society, from
the people's house. In the evening, the Hindus celebrating Ngerupuk, start making noises and

light burning torches and set fire to the Ogoh-ogoh in order to get the Bhuta Kala, evil spirits,
out of our lives.
The fifth culture is Saraswatis Day.
The name Saraswati came from "Saras" meaning flow and "wati" meaning a women. So,
Saraswati is symbol of knowledge, its flow (or growth) is like a river and knowledge is very
interesting, like a beautiful women.
Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge, symbolized by a beautiful woman with four hands,
riding on a white swan among water lilies to tell humanity that science is like a beautiful
woman. Her hands hold a palm leaf; a lontar, (a Balinese traditional book which is the source
of science or knowledge); a chain (genitri with 108 pieces) symbolising that knowledge is
never ending and has an everlasting life cycle; and a musical instrument (guitar or wina)
symbolising that science develops through the growth of culture. The swans symbolise
prudence, so that one's knowledge may distinguish between good and evil and the water lilies
(Lotus) are symbols of holiness. The Lotus flower is the holiest for Balinese.
In the afternoon of Saraswati day we are not permitted to read or write the book because all
the books are offered. In the evening, called Malam Sastra, people read books (especially
religious books) in their houses or in the temple.
The last culture is food. Bali has many kind of food (spicy, salty and etc). But here i just
want to tell about two kinds of food typicsl of Bali which the most preferred, which is lawar
and satay lilit. Lawar is made from a mixture of vegetables in the chopped meat. Then in
mixed with spices, commonly referred to as the genep. Vegetables are used are usually nuts,
and jackfruit. Bush meat is used is pork. However, over the food is getting a lot of rage, the
seller of lawar replace the meat with chicken, duck meat, even roast beef. Satay lilit is made
from boiler chicken mixed with shredded coconut, then and the spice. After the meat mixed
with spices, meat at the wrap in a twinge kebabs. Then put the satay at a roast. Theres one
more food that has been a lot of scattered outside Bali.the chicken betutu. Its a spicy salt food
makes the popular by the visitors. So if one day you ever been to Bali i suggest you to try this
food.