Bali is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller offshore islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan to the southeast. The provincial capital, Denpasar, is the most populous city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second-largest, after Makassar, in Eastern Indonesia. Denpasar metropolitan area is the extended metropolitan area around Denpasar. The upland town of Ubud in Greater Denpasar is considered Bali's cultural centre. The province is Indonesia's main tourist destination, with a significant rise in tourism since the 1980s, and becoming an Indonesian area of overtourism. Tourism-related business makes up 80% of the Bali economy.
Denpasar is the capital city of the province of Bali, Indonesia. Denpasar is the main gateway to the Bali island, the city is also a hub for other cities in the Lesser Sunda Islands.
Balinese Hinduism, also known in Indonesia as Agama Hindu Dharma, Agama Tirtha, Agama Air Suci or Agama Hindu Bali, is the form of Hinduism practised by the majority of the population of Bali. This is particularly associated with the Balinese people residing on the island, and represents a distinct form of Hindu worship incorporating local animism, ancestor worship or Pitru Paksha, and reverence for Buddhist saints or Bodhisattava.
Hinduism is the third-largest religion in Indonesia, based on civil registration data in 2023 from Ministry of Home Affairs, is practised by about 1.68% of the total population, and almost 87% of the population in Bali. Hinduism was the dominant religion in the country before the arrival of Islam and is one of the six official religions of Indonesia today. Hinduism came to Indonesia in the 1st-century through Indian traders, sailors, scholars and priests. A syncretic fusion of pre-existing Javanese folk religion, culture and Hindu ideas, that from the 6th-century also synthesized Buddhist ideas as well, evolved as the Indonesian version of Hinduism. These ideas continued to develop during the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires. About 1400 CE, these kingdoms were introduced to Islam from coast-based Muslim traders, and thereafter Hinduism, which was previously the dominant religion in the region, mostly vanished from many of the islands of Indonesia.
Galungan is a Balinese holiday celebrating the victory of dharma over adharma. It marks the time when the ancestral spirits visit the Earth. The last day of the celebration is Kuningan, when they return. The date is calculated according to the 210-day Balinese Pawukon calendar.
Nyepi is a Balinese "Day of Silence" that is commemorated every Isakawarsa according to the Balinese calendar.
Subak is the water management (irrigation) system for the paddy fields on Bali island, Indonesia. It was developed in the 9th century. For the Balinese, irrigation is not simply providing water for the plant's roots, but water is used to construct a complex, pulsed artificial ecosystem that is at the same time autonomous and interdependent. The system consists of five terraced rice fields and water temples covering nearly 20,000 hectares. The temples are the main focus of this cooperative water management, known as subak.
Lemang is a Minangkabau traditional food made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo tube coated with banana leaves in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo. Originating in Indonesia, it is also found in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei, as similar dishes made from sticky rice in bamboo are common throughout Mainland Southeast Asia.
Satu Suro is the first day of the Javanese calendar year in the month of Suro, corresponding with the first Islamic month of Muharram. It is mainly celebrated in Java, Indonesia, and by Javanese people living elsewhere.
Balinese dance is an ancient dance tradition that is part of the religious and artistic expression among the Balinese people of Bali island, Indonesia. Balinese dance is dynamic, angular, and intensely expressive. Balinese dancers express the stories of dance-drama through bodily gestures including gestures of fingers, hands, head, and eyes.
Bakti Negara is a style of pencak silat from Bali. It is firmly rooted in old Balinese Hinduism and philosophies of Indonesia. The name means "national devotion", from the Sanskrit words bhakti (devotion) and nagara (country). It is the most widely practiced martial art in Bali and the most well-known style of Balinese silat, to the point that the system is commonly referred to simply as pencak Bali or kuntao Bali.
Nasi kuning, or sometimes called nasi kunyit, is an Indonesian fragrant rice dish cooked with coconut milk and turmeric, hence the name nasi kuning. Nasi kuning also can be found in neighbouring Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Cocos Island, Australia.
Serabi, surabi, or srabi is a traditional Balinese–Javanese snack, similar to a pancake, made of a rice flour-based batter with coconut milk or coconut cream and shredded coconut as an emulsifier. Most traditional serabi tastes sweet, as these pancake-like desserts are usually eaten with kinca, a golden-brown coconut sugar syrup in the Sundanese culinary tradition.
Makan bajamba is the traditional communal meal, shared from one container, and procession of dining on low tables set upon the floor; it is a tradition of the Minangkabau people that has existed since the founding of Islam and is conducted at ceremonial events, holidays, festivals, and important gatherings. Various Minangkabau foods are served in the procession, which is carried in by female participants on their head. That foods are all laid out on metallic trays and then placed on the low tables and consumed while sitting on the floor. This procession opens with the performance of Minangkabau arts and begins with the recitation of traditional Minangkabau proverbs as well as proverbs from the Koran by elders and leaders. Literally, makan bajamba means eating together; it facilitates a sense of togetherness regardless of status of the participants.
Balinese textiles are reflective of the historical traditions of Bali, Indonesia. Bali has been historically linked to the major courts of Java before the 10th century; and following the defeat of the Majapahit kingdom, many of the Javanese aristocracy fled to Bali and the traditions were continued. Bali therefore may be seen as a repository not only of its own arts but those of Java in the pre-Islamic 15th century. Any attempt to definitively describe Balinese textiles and their use is doomed to be incomplete. The use of textile is a living tradition and so is in constant change. It will also vary from one district to another. For the most part old cloth are not venerated for their age. New is much better. In the tropics cloth rapidly deteriorates and so virtue is generated by replacing them.
Otonan is a Balinese Hindu birth ceremony carried out in Bali, Indonesia.
Soto is a traditional Indonesian soup mainly composed of broth, meat, and vegetables. Many traditional soups are called soto, whereas foreign and Western influenced soups are called sop.
Nasi jinggo is a Balinese ready-to-eat street food, packaged in small portions of banana leaves. Apart from being eaten as street food, nasi jinggo is also used in various religious ceremonies such as the Ngaben funeral rites, birthday celebrations, and meetings.
Barong dance is a style of traditional Balinese from Bali, Indonesia. The dance demonstrates about the mythological depiction of animals that have supernatural powers and the ability to protect humans. Barong is the king of the spirits, leader of the hosts of good, and the enemy of Rangda, the demon queen and mother of all spirit guarders in the mythological traditions of Bali. The Barong dance featured a battle between Barong and Rangda to represent the eternal battle between good and evil.
Marriage in Indonesia is carried out by one sacred recipient man and one woman with the intention of formalizing the marriage bond according to religious norms, legal norms, and social norms.
