"Country at the Equator"

The word Bali today is associated with a paradise created by the joint efforts of nature and man. But not everyone can live in such a paradise. You have to be born in Bali.

Unlike Indonesia, which is part of Bali, the island is not a Muslim country. It is the only landmass in Southeast Asia whose inhabitants profess Hinduism, a unique religion that combines features of Hinduism, Buddhism and ancient pagan beliefs.

Just Vanya.

From birth to death, the life of a Balinese is subject to ritual ceremonies. Most of the salary goes to cover the costs of organizing a ceremony. Thus, he deliberately "invests money" in future reincarnation in order to rise one caste higher at the new birth. There are four castes. The first includes the brahmanas (priests) and their descendants, who still speak Sanskrit and have the ability to calculate the dates of religious holidays, funerals and weddings according to the lunar calendar. The second caste includes the heirs of kings and warriors. The third group includes businessmen and traders. 90% of Bali’s people are of lower caste, renowned for their hospitality and kindness. A descendant of a brahmana can work as a driver for a fourth caste, who holds a very responsible post. To what rank belongs the Balinese, you will tell his name. The first part of the name of the representative of the lower caste means what kind of child in the family. For example, Wayan means first, Mode means second, Neumann means third, and so on. Interestingly, introducing themselves to Russian tourists, the Wayans usually say: “Call me just Vanya!” In the following castes, the prefixes to the name serve as a hint. A conversation with a stranger is started in the simplest Indonesian dialect. Orientated by caste, they switch to the language of the corresponding social group. There are also four dialects.

At every step in Bali there are offerings for spirits. The main thing is not to step on a small box of palm leaves filled with boiled rice, fruits, vegetables and flowers, otherwise the indigenous population will be offended. Rice replaces Balinese bread. It is white, red and black, the harvest is harvested 2-3 times a year. In national dishes, red rice is more often used, abundantly seasoned with spices. Its smell is everywhere and you swear to yourself that when you return home, you will never cook this product.

Merry funeral

It is not accepted to fight with dark spirits here. It is believed that black and white (good and evil) should exist in harmony. To do this, any stone statue is wrapped in a black and white plaid veil, and at the beginning of the village and near the entrance to the buildings, the gates of balance are erected. After passing through them, a person is cleansed.

Bali is divided into villages with its own communities. Marrying and marrying a fellow villager. The community council distributes land that is inherited through the male line. If God did not send a son, then the woman is married to another man who goes to live in her family as a child and the right of inheritance is preserved. The placenta of the newborn is buried, the umbilical cord is dried and suspended from a tree. When a child becomes ill, they will be given a piece of umbilical cord instead of medicine. Up to three months (in some villages up to 1.5 years) the baby is not put on his feet. At the age of 13, a kind of “baptism” rite is carried out, consisting in sawing teeth. They align the incisors and fangs, destroying the animal principle. A couple of weeks after the procedure, boys and girls can not eat, devoid of enamel teeth react to any touch. If the parents do not have money for the ceremony, the procedure is postponed until the marriage. Sometimes this is done before cremation, otherwise a person is like a demon, which means that the path to the spirit realm is closed to him.

Cremation is the most expensive holiday (costs from 10 thousand to 200 thousand dollars). The body of the deceased is treated with formalin and interred in the yard of the house until the day of burning calculated by the brahmana. Relatives now have a lot of trouble: they build a wooden pyramid topped with a dragon, wrap it in cloth. The coffin is a wooden black (the priests have white) cow. On the appointed day, 200-300 people on bamboo stretchers deliver a pyramid, often from a 12-storey house, to the place of cremation. At the top of it lies a corpse, which is placed in a model cow through a hole in the back of the animal and set on fire. The ashes are sanctified and scattered at the nearest reservoir. The pyramid must then be burned. The poor practice joining the rich man’s funeral, which reduces their own expenses to $500. Meeting a funeral procession is not scary. Its participants smile and cheer, rejoicing for the one who left the sinful land and, finally, happy, pose and offer to take a picture together. All villagers gather for such a ritual, on this occasion they are unconditionally released from work.

Two Balinese Troubles

Each village specializes in a specific activity. There are villages of wood and stone carving masters, potters... and beggars. Children and adults from such a village are scattered for work all over the island. They scurry on the roads, knock on the windows of cars and buses stopped in front of traffic lights and hold out their hand with hope.

Unconventional things in Bali can not count. The last day of the next lunar year is called the Day of Silence – it is a sliding holiday. In a kind of “new year”, celebrated in March or April, nature and people are renewed, so Balinese do not leave their homes, do not turn on the light, they pray in silence and darkness. Tourists whose vacation is “overshadowed” by the local new year, within 24 hours except for the beach, will not be allowed to leave the hotel. Not even Denpasar International Airport is operating. Aborigines solve their problems: you need to honorably burn another monster created by their hands two weeks before the desired date.

To the trouble of motorists who rented a car on vacation, Bali does not have an accurate map. Having bought under the guise of a map some scheme with a lined grid of streets, it is almost impossible to get there to the desired place, still get lost. Asking passers-by is also useless. They can say with confidence that there is only a kilometer left, in fact ten kilometers, and in the other direction. It's not safe to drive. Firstly, the left-hand movement, and secondly, the rights here are not rented out, they are legally bought. Ready to wait a month for paperwork, pay less. Need right now, the amount increases several times. If you can drive, no one cares. There is a saying in Bali that there are no rules of the road, there are rules of the road.

Global troubles on a remote island from Russia are also two troubles, though different: the airport and taxi drivers. The first one is not as comfortable as I would like. The latter are unreliable comrades. You ask to drive to a particular restaurant, and as a result, the car stops at the door of an unknown catering point. The taxi driver spreads his hands and does not understand what you are unhappy with. “Is this restaurant worse, my brother works here?”

How gullibility ruined a girl

The neighboring tiny Indonesian islands are inhabited by ancient tribes and the last descendants of dinosaurs – Komodo (huge lizards from two to twelve meters long, running quickly on four legs). If desired, you can make a trip to the islands of magicians. Today, in Bali, only one person dares to bring curious people there. Behaving at a visit to the wizards should be very careful, follow the guide guide and do not make unnecessary movements, because there are no signs of what place is enchanted. The recent curiosity that happened with a tourist who does not believe in magic is actively discussed. During an unusual excursion, he just spit, apparently, where he should not. He returned home and died suddenly a few days later.

Vacationers in Bali are often invited to watch the local ritual dance Barong performed by professional artists. The real spectacle I was lucky enough to witness has nothing to do with forgery. Dance, born in the X-XI centuries, reflects the events of the legend of a trusting girl who believed the promises of a man. A Balinese prince fell in love with a princess from Java. She replied, “I will love you forever, but never cheat on me!” and agreed to become his wife. Of course, the prince broke the deal. Heartbroken princess settled in a secluded place with her daughter and engaged in black magic: brought damage to villages and livestock. People called her the witch Randa. Then the angry husband instructed the white priest to dispel the evil spells of the woman. The messenger was not able to do this, and his son soon married his daughter Randa. The witch became angry and called the priest to fight. The Light forces, as they should, took over – the defeated Randa died.

Barong is performed by the order of a brahmana and is intended to purify the aura of the village and its inhabitants. The handicrafted villagers from small to large sit on the sidewalks of the main village street, which serves as the stage. During the first three to four hours, the heroes of the ritual dance, dressed in 30-degree heat in colorful bulky costumes, move monotonously and menacingly. Emaciated “dancers” are periodically taken to the temple to meditate, they are replaced by new ones. Unexpectedly, when enormous energy is accumulated in the space, a part of the male audience jumps up with wild screams from their seats, grabs pre-prepared sharp knives and plunges them into the body, demonstrating love for God. However, the blades do not penetrate the skin. Guards from the locals are always ready to protect the crowd if a trance person rushes to the audience. It is scary to look at this, because it is almost impossible to get out of the ring of people. Gradually, the action moves to the temple. The number covered by the strange state is increasing. Women and men fall to the ground, some beat as if in a fit (they are tied up), others walk on the burning sand. They are so filled with holy water. Drugs are banned and the death penalty is imposed on Bali. On that day at Barong, I learned the most important thing: how strong and sincere is the faith of the simple and amazingly humble people who call themselves Balinese.

Olga Yakunina