Unlike westerners, the Balinese rarely go to the beach except for work and ritual. Swimming and sunbathing on the beach like a tourist is not a Balinese custom. For the Balinese, at least before the development of tourism, the beach was not a place for recreation, but a sacred site – a place for spiritual purification.
There are several Hindu rituals that take place on the beach that include melasti, nganyut, and pakelem. Melasti is a purification ritual that takes place every year, usually in March or early April, precisely two or three days before the Bali-Hindu New Year day of Nyepi (the day of silence). The melasti ritual is marked by a long procession from village to the beach and vice versa. In the past, people carried all of the religious paraphernalia while walking( some are very heavy), but more recently wheeled-carts or even trucks are used to lighten the load. Thanks to technology and the smooth asphalt it has become less of a burden for the procession participants. Besides the beach, melasti is also made lakeside or by a river, especially for those who live far from a beach. Water is the important element.
During the one day ritual, almost every beach in Bali fills with people in traditional attire, gamelan music, and colorful religious paraphernalia such as the umbrellas, statues, spears and other sacred objects that are usually stored in temples. While the day is usually hot and humid at Bali's beaches, some people like to take a swim during melasti, though it is still not a common activity. While tourists are discouraged from coming to the beach to swim on melasti day, it is the best time to see one of Bali's grand rituals. Melasti ritual is also held on other auspicious days in conjunction with important temples festivals over the island, or festivals for newly renovated temple. Such festivals commence by bringing all the temples' religious paraphernalia to the beach for purification. But this time, they carry them by car or truck. There is nothing like the annual melasti procession.
Nganyut is an ash-throwing ritual held by the sea which marks the end of a cremation ceremony. It usually take place in the late afternoon, or even at night, depending on the time the cremation ritual ends. For a high scale cremation, the ash-throwing is usually done a few hundred meters from the beach, so several canoes or boats are required to take the ashes out to sea. They must be thrown into the sea, as some believe the sea has every power to purify any impure matter. Others believe that it is a symbolic way to send them to the Gangga River, India's holy Hindu Ganges River, because that river also finishes at sea.
Pakelem is a ritual that attempts to neutralize negative energies of the macrocosim. Depending of its scale, this ritual is marked by throwing sacrificed animals, like a cow or buffalo into the sea. Before sacrificing, the animals are purified so their souls go to heaven so that should they reincarnate, they can become a creature of a higher level than before.
In the growing fear of frequent natural disasters like tsunami and earth-quake, several pakelem rituals have been held throughout certain beaches in Bali. The aims of such rituals are twofold – both to prevent natural disaster, and most importantly, is calm fearfulness amongst the community. Recently, with the growing trend of national disintegration, a pakelem ritual is also held in the hope that the unity of Indonesia as a nation may be maintained and strengthened. The red and white Indonesian flag is brought to the ritual, marking its nationalistic dimension. Swimming is rarely done in this ritual.
Although swimming is rare, it doesn't mean that Balinese people avoid the totally. In fact, one day called banyupinaruh is an auspicious day for beach swimming. It falls every six months in the Hindu-Bali calendar on the day after the special day of knowledge, honouring the Goddess Saraswati. It is considered the best day for Balinese to swim, usually at dawn to cleanse their bodies. On this day, Sanur beach and the beaches around Kuta and Nusa Dua are usually packed with people, especially families with children. Most people bring offerings and pray before swimming. Yet on all other days, except for those who working as fisherman, most Balinese do not approach the beach. Twilight is the most dangerous time for Balinese to go out, let alone to come to the shore to see the sun set. The beauty of the sun set is, in the past, hardly part of ordinary Balinese conversation.
Change, however, has taken place since the tourism industry developed. By the 1970s, Sanur Beach became a popular site for young Balinese couples, particularly at night, and during full moon (purnama). School students also came, although not for swimming. They sought the strange ten-story building of Grand Bali Beach Hotel, the tallest building on the island.
Now more and more Balinese see the beach as a place for recreation, especially for town folks with the fast growing population. Every weekend or holiday in the morning and the afternoon, see Bali's beaches packed with local people. Since tourism developed, many young Balinese have also learned how to surf and they often spend time on the beach, particularly in Kuta. Many of Kuta's youth have gained success as world class surf champions, whilst others work as beach patrol. Change brought about by tourism also brought about a different understanding. Today, Balinese come to see the sun set, and they talk about its beauty, take pictures with digital camera or hand phone, just as tourists do.
Beach clothing with international brands like Quiksilver and Billabong have also become popular among young Balinese. Yet, those who wear such clothes as part of a fashion statement may or may not have ever been swimming at the beach as they are occupied with an idea that Bali has no beach culture, if what is understood as beach culture is swimming, sunbathing, and surfing.
Source: Hello Balli Magazine
There are several Hindu rituals that take place on the beach that include melasti, nganyut, and pakelem. Melasti is a purification ritual that takes place every year, usually in March or early April, precisely two or three days before the Bali-Hindu New Year day of Nyepi (the day of silence). The melasti ritual is marked by a long procession from village to the beach and vice versa. In the past, people carried all of the religious paraphernalia while walking( some are very heavy), but more recently wheeled-carts or even trucks are used to lighten the load. Thanks to technology and the smooth asphalt it has become less of a burden for the procession participants. Besides the beach, melasti is also made lakeside or by a river, especially for those who live far from a beach. Water is the important element.
During the one day ritual, almost every beach in Bali fills with people in traditional attire, gamelan music, and colorful religious paraphernalia such as the umbrellas, statues, spears and other sacred objects that are usually stored in temples. While the day is usually hot and humid at Bali's beaches, some people like to take a swim during melasti, though it is still not a common activity. While tourists are discouraged from coming to the beach to swim on melasti day, it is the best time to see one of Bali's grand rituals. Melasti ritual is also held on other auspicious days in conjunction with important temples festivals over the island, or festivals for newly renovated temple. Such festivals commence by bringing all the temples' religious paraphernalia to the beach for purification. But this time, they carry them by car or truck. There is nothing like the annual melasti procession.
Nganyut is an ash-throwing ritual held by the sea which marks the end of a cremation ceremony. It usually take place in the late afternoon, or even at night, depending on the time the cremation ritual ends. For a high scale cremation, the ash-throwing is usually done a few hundred meters from the beach, so several canoes or boats are required to take the ashes out to sea. They must be thrown into the sea, as some believe the sea has every power to purify any impure matter. Others believe that it is a symbolic way to send them to the Gangga River, India's holy Hindu Ganges River, because that river also finishes at sea.
Pakelem is a ritual that attempts to neutralize negative energies of the macrocosim. Depending of its scale, this ritual is marked by throwing sacrificed animals, like a cow or buffalo into the sea. Before sacrificing, the animals are purified so their souls go to heaven so that should they reincarnate, they can become a creature of a higher level than before.
In the growing fear of frequent natural disasters like tsunami and earth-quake, several pakelem rituals have been held throughout certain beaches in Bali. The aims of such rituals are twofold – both to prevent natural disaster, and most importantly, is calm fearfulness amongst the community. Recently, with the growing trend of national disintegration, a pakelem ritual is also held in the hope that the unity of Indonesia as a nation may be maintained and strengthened. The red and white Indonesian flag is brought to the ritual, marking its nationalistic dimension. Swimming is rarely done in this ritual.
Although swimming is rare, it doesn't mean that Balinese people avoid the totally. In fact, one day called banyupinaruh is an auspicious day for beach swimming. It falls every six months in the Hindu-Bali calendar on the day after the special day of knowledge, honouring the Goddess Saraswati. It is considered the best day for Balinese to swim, usually at dawn to cleanse their bodies. On this day, Sanur beach and the beaches around Kuta and Nusa Dua are usually packed with people, especially families with children. Most people bring offerings and pray before swimming. Yet on all other days, except for those who working as fisherman, most Balinese do not approach the beach. Twilight is the most dangerous time for Balinese to go out, let alone to come to the shore to see the sun set. The beauty of the sun set is, in the past, hardly part of ordinary Balinese conversation.
Change, however, has taken place since the tourism industry developed. By the 1970s, Sanur Beach became a popular site for young Balinese couples, particularly at night, and during full moon (purnama). School students also came, although not for swimming. They sought the strange ten-story building of Grand Bali Beach Hotel, the tallest building on the island.Now more and more Balinese see the beach as a place for recreation, especially for town folks with the fast growing population. Every weekend or holiday in the morning and the afternoon, see Bali's beaches packed with local people. Since tourism developed, many young Balinese have also learned how to surf and they often spend time on the beach, particularly in Kuta. Many of Kuta's youth have gained success as world class surf champions, whilst others work as beach patrol. Change brought about by tourism also brought about a different understanding. Today, Balinese come to see the sun set, and they talk about its beauty, take pictures with digital camera or hand phone, just as tourists do.
Beach clothing with international brands like Quiksilver and Billabong have also become popular among young Balinese. Yet, those who wear such clothes as part of a fashion statement may or may not have ever been swimming at the beach as they are occupied with an idea that Bali has no beach culture, if what is understood as beach culture is swimming, sunbathing, and surfing.
Source: Hello Balli Magazine
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