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Ritual Events

The first ceremony of a Balinese takes place before he or she is even born. On the 6th month of the pregnancy a ceremony with offerings is conducted (pegedong-pegedong) to ensure the well being and health of the baby.

Once the baby is born the afterbirth is to be placed in a coconut which is wrapped in a white cloth and finally buried near the entrance of the parent's household. For a short period of time appropriate ceremonies are conducted regularly on this spot.

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The final life cycle ceremony is the Bali cremation (Pengabenan, ngaben or palebonan). When touring around the island you are likely to see this ceremony.

We have witnessed it several times and were even able to see one of the biggest in decades: the royal cremation in Ubud 2008. If you are not fully aware about the reasons of the cremations that take place in Bali you can be quite surprised.

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The Bali festivals and life-cycle ceremonies stop for a while, until a Balinese boy or girl reaches adolescence...

In this period of life the important and painful tooth-filling ceremony (Mapandes) takes place, preferable before marriage.

By filing away the sharp points of the canine teeth the Balinese believe that human behavior such as lust, greed, anger, drunkenness, jealousy etc. is removed from that specific person.

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Culture of Bali

Besakih Temple

Mother Temple

Over a thous...

Museum Seni Lukis Klasik, Klungkung

This museum is owned by th...

Goa Lawah Temple
The Bat Cave

Not for the f...

Museum Le Mayeur, Sanur

The Museum Le Mayeur in Sa...

Seniwati Gallery of Art by Women

This gallery was establish...

Museum Antonio Blanco

Philippine-born artist Ant...

Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud

Founded by Rudolf Bonnet a...

Museum Manusa Yadnya, Taman Ayun

Just as its name impl...

Museum Neka, Ubud

The superb Neka Museum, in...

Legong Dance

Also accompanied by the Go...

Shadow Puppets - Wayang Kulit

Wayang Kulit, is an Indone...

Ulun Danu

No less stunning is the mo...

Bali Events and Calendar

Nyepi
The saka calendar has a major festival called Nyepi, or the final d...
Bali Spirit Festival 2011
Bali Spirit Festival - The Bali Spirit Festival is an festival hel...
Saraswati
Bali and the Balinese also celebrate Saraswati, a day devoted to ...
Galungan and Kuningan
Bali's most important festival is the Galungan festival. It is a f...
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival will run from October 7-11, 2009
Dear Visitors,If you have an interest in spending a day or two enjo...
Odalan
You would think with all the Bali Life-cycle ceremonies, the 10 da...
Cornerkick - Visual Art Exhibition - Lodtunduh Ubud Bali
 Cornerkick Visual Art Exhibition ( 5 July - ...
Arts Festival
Highly notable is the Annual Arts Festival, which interestingly ...

History of Bali

Mighty Majapahit and Golden Bali
1343 AD, is an important date in Bali's history. It was then that ...
Of foreign tricks and trade
Bali was unknown to Europeans until the end of the fifteenth centur...
Of early traders and olden kingdoms
Bali was busy with trade from as early as 200 BC. The prasasti, or...
Independence
Throughout the 19th and 20th century relations with the Dutch were ...
Colonial rule and Dutch rules
The puputan caused quite a stir in Europe and the United States and...
Since the Beginning of Time
Bali has been inhabited for a long time. Sembiran, a village in no...