Balinese Life

The strong cultural identity of Bali is based on a combination of closely related elements such as the unique religion, the language, the castes, the community life, the land cultivation and the expression of its art. Of the four castes, Brahmana, Satria and Wesia represent 10% of the population whereas the Sudras (the farmers and craftsmen) represent the great majority. The caste system, still very much alive today, regulates, apart from their religious power, the different levels of the Balinese language.
Although the official language is Bahasa Indonesia, Balinese remains the everyday dialect of the people of the island. Each Balinese belongs to his or her caste, but foremost to their community, which from birth to death regulates life in its social and religious aspects. Numerous ceremonies mark the progression of life, starting with the first birthday, 210 days after birth, which is the length of a Balinese year.
Childhood is treated with respect and gentleness until teen years, celebrated with the tooth filing ceremony. Marriage is the definite and official entry into the community of which every Balinese becomes an active member. Participation at the meetings of the "Banjar", (virtual local government which manages village life, from wedding ceremonies, cremations, village security and land transactions), is everyone's given duty.
The whole irrigation system, unique in the world, is managed by this
association whichensures the fair distribution of water, and carries out the ceremonial rites to the spirits of agriculture. This perfect organization makes the Balinese the best rice farmers of Indonesia. In this compact cultural unity, on ethnic group stands out: the Bali Aga. They are the descendants of the first inhabitants before the arrival of the Majapahit. Their customs, far from all Hindu influence, are believed to be of prehistorically origin. Arts, music, dance and their wove textiles are subject to specific rituals. The two best known Bali Aga villages are Tenganan, above Candi Dasa and Trunyan on Lake Batur.

About Bali

History of Bali
It is believed that Bali's first inhabitants came from China at the beginning of the Iron Age, around 3000 BC. Some Buddhist inscriptions date from the 9th century AD, but it was only in the 11th century that the Hindu influence, omnipresent in Java, made its mark on the island. Under the reign of King Airlangga, cultural exchanges between the two islands were developed. In the 13th century, the son of king Kertanegara founded the Majapahit dynasty which flourished for three centuries.
At the end of this time, chased by the arrival of Islam, the Javanese aristocracy, its nobles, priests, artists and artisans fled to Bali. During this era, the island enjoyed an intense period of cultural development, the main traits of which are to be found today in the caste system, the rituals and certain artistic styles. The first Dutch seamen landed in Bali in 1597. The settlement and colonization process, which actually only started in 1800, was marked by troubled times and climaxed with the "Puputan" or collective suicide of the 14th of September 1906, when 4000 Balinese killed themselves rather than capitulate. The Japanese occupation, from 1942 to 1945, hindered the Dutch sovereignty.
0n the 17th of August 1945, Sukarno, the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, proclaimed independence. In Bali, at the battle of Marga in 1946 the Dutch, who did not recognize the declaration of independence, faced a group of 94 soldiers led by Lt. Col. I Gusti Ngurah Rai, who refused to surrender. The Bali international airport is named after him. In 1949, the Dutch finally withdrew.

Geography
Located 8 degrees south of the equator, in the midst of the 17 000 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago, Bali measures approximately 140 km by 80 km and has an area of 5 620 km2. Immediately east of Java, Bali is the first of the Sunda Islands. Its mountain range consists mostly of active volcanoes, with the highest, Mount Gunung Agung, reaching 3142 meters. Stretched to the south and north of these volcanoes, Bali's most fertile agricultural lands produce abundant crops of rice.
The west, thinly populated, is the only non-cultivated area and includes Bali's National Park, a deeply forested area, with rare varieties of plants and birds. The eastern and northeastern slopes of ( Gunung Agung are arid, as is the Bukit Peninsula to the south.The climate is hot and humid with an average temperature of 28 degrees Celcius. The rainy season lasts from October to March and the percentage of humidity fluctuates between 75% and 80% depending on the season.