Black and White: Our Favorite Color??

-

You will soon notice black and white cloth everywhere in Bali. You see it around the shrines both in public temple and family temple. It is also worn by Kecak dancers as their saput (sarong) and wrapped around statue of Dwarapala in front of temple gates. Besides, some umbrellas, and other stuff are also wrapped in black and white cloth. Is black and white cloth becoming a trend in Bali?

The answer is no.
The black and white cloth is used a lot in activity related to religion and culture. It departs from a Balinese philosophy called Rwa Bineda or the two which is different. This means that the life always consist of two oppositional things just like the color black and white. It can also seen it as ‘day and night’, ‘sadness and happiness’, ‘high and low’, ‘rich and poor’, well, the list will not stop here…
Realizing that the life always consists of these “black and white”, the Balinese apply this concept in life in a certain way; when a Balinese is sad because of misfortune, he will remember that sadness is a part of the circle where happiness is in the other side. Hence, he will not feel so sad. When he is happy, “he will not be too happy”. Just act the normal way. This is called, though sound to be an oversimplification, balance in life.
Another ‘black and white’ is the cloth used to wrap around the guardian statues in front of the temple gate. This implies that the guardian should realize or know to differentiate which is good and which is bad.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swastika symbol in Bali?

-
Swastika sign can be seen in Bali, especially in Balinese Hindu temple. I must say almost all the Hindu Balinese are familiar to this symbol. Besides temple, one can also see it in houses, or community building. Even the 'Swastika' word is used as a person name, for example, Ketut Swastika. But why and what does Swastika mean? It simply means balance in relationship. The Balinese Hindu see the life is ideal when they live a balanced life indicated by three good relationship. The first is good relationship between human and the Almighty God. All the festivals, offering in temples, praying activity that you witness in Bali are examples that the Balinese really long for a great relationship with Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, The Almighty God. Next, the harmonious relationship among the human race. The Balinese values good relationship between themselves. Many activities in villages in Bali involve community of villagers . When one family in a certain village hold a ceremony such as cr
Read more

The Journey to the North Bali

-
Image
Going on a tour to North Bali can be exciting if you enjoy watching the lush area of Bali with the view of hills and lakes. There are many places to visit to enjoy the scenery and breath fresh air along the road. Your first stop is at Pacung village where you can see beautiful scenery of rice field and vegetables plantation. The farmers of this village plant many kind of vegetables like cabbages, potatoes, carrots, and radish. Along the way you will also find various kind of flowers grown in the farmers field like marigold, or roses. There is also special flowers they grow for making religious offerings. They sell their crops in markets in Denpasar and in Bedugul which is your next stop. Bedugul is a local market where you can find spices, flowers, and vegetables. Well, I don't think you will be doing any cooking on your vacation in Bali, so there is no need to haggle for vegetables. But, it is a very colourful pasar (pasar is the word for market in Indonesian or Balinese). As
Read more

Bali Shanti Shanti Shanti; The Brand New Bali

-
Image
For centuries, the number three is very important in Bali'nese Hindu in Bali island. For example, the number 3 can be clearly seen in the brand new logo of Bali introduced in June 2007. First, the shape is a triangle. The triangle actually means stability and harmony. Besides, it also represent the three manifestation of God, Brahma (the creator), Wisnu (the preserver) and Siva (the sin destroyer). The Balinese belief in the existence of 3 worlds, called Bhur, Bwah, and Swah which is also indicated by the triangel. There is three stages of life, birth, life and death. Next, the popular concept of Tri Hita Karana (three that causes happiness) does underlie the idea of the new logo of Bali. It is the THK that actually is believed to be responsible to the peaceful feeling and harmony the visitors feel when they step their foot on the Bali island. What are those three creating happiness? The three things that causes happiness are Parahyangan : the harmonious relationship between men an
Read more