INFORMATION ABOUT INDONESIA

HISTORY
The 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia were home to a diversity of cultures and indigenous beliefs when the islands came under the influence of Hindu priests and traders in the first and second centuries A.D. Muslim invasions began in the 13th century, and most of the archipelago had converted to Islam by the 15th century. Portuguese traders arrived early in the next century but were ousted by the Dutch around 1595. The Dutch United East India Company established posts on the island of Java, in an effort to control the spice trade. After Napolon subjugated the Netherlands in 1811, the British seized the islands but returned them to the Dutch in 1816. In 1922, Indonesia was made an integral part of the Dutch kingdom. During World War II, Japan seized the islands. Tokyo was primarily interested in Indonesia's oil, which was vital to the war effort, and tolerated fledgling nationalists such as Sukarno and Mohammed Hatta. After Japan's surrender, Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed Indonesian independence on Aug. 17, 1945. Allied troops, mostly British Indian forces, fought nationalist militias to reassert the prewar status quo until the arrival of Dutch troops.

RELIGION
A religious procession Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 93.18% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism, formed as a combination of existing local beliefs and Hindu influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. Minority religions include Islam (4.79%), Christianity (1.38%), and Buddhism (0.64%). These figures do not include immigrants from other parts of Indonesia. When Islam surpassed Hinduism in Java (16th century), Bali became a refuge for many Hindus. Balinese Hinduism is an amalgam in which gods and demigods are worshipped together with Buddhist heroes, the spirits of ancestors, indigenous agricultural deities and sacred places. Religion as it is practiced in Bali is a composite belief system that embraces not only theology, philosophy, and mythology, but ancestor worship, animism and magic. It pervades nearly every aspect of traditional life. Caste is observed, though less strictly than in India. With an estimated 20,000 puras (temples) and shrines, Bali is known as the "Island of a Thousand Puras", or "Island of the Gods". Balinese Hinduism has roots in Indian Hinduism and in Buddhism, and adopted the animistic traditions of the indigenous people. This influence strengthened the belief that the gods and goddesses are present in all things. Every element of nature, therefore, possesses its own power, which reflects the power of the gods. A rock, tree, dagger, or woven cloth is a potential home for spirits whose energy can be directed for good or evil. Balinese Hinduism is deeply interwoven with art and ritual. Ritualizing states of self-control are a notable feature of religious expression among the people, who for this reason have become famous for their graceful and decorous behavior. Apart from the majority of Balinese Hindus, there also exist Chinese immigrants whose traditions have melded with that of the locals. As a result, these Sino-Balinese not only embrace their original religion, which is a mixture of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Confucianism, but also find a way to harmonize it with the local traditions. Hence, it is not uncommon to find local Sino-Balinese during the local temple's odalan. Moreover, Balinese Hindu priests are invited to perform rites alongside a Chinese priest in the event of the death of a Sino-Balinese. Nevertheless, the Sino-Balinese claim to embrace Buddhism for administrative purposes, such as their Identity Cards.

CULTURE
Bali is renowned for its diverse and sophisticated art forms, such as painting, sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, and performing arts. Balinese percussion orchestra music, known as gamelan, is highly developed and varied. Balinese performing arts often portray stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana but with heavy Balinese influence. Famous Balinese dances include pendet, legong, baris, topeng, barong, gong keybar, and kecak (the monkey dance). Bali boasts one of the most diverse and innovative performing arts cultures in the world, with paid performances at thousands of temple festivals, private ceremonies, or public shows. The Hindu New Year, Nyepi, is celebrated in the spring by a day of silence. On this day everyone stays at home and tourists are encouraged to remain in their hotels. But the day before that large, colourful sculptures of ogoh-ogoh monsters are paraded and finally burned in the evening to drive away evil spirits. Other festivals throughout the year are specified by the Balinese pawukon calendrical system.

Balinese dancers wearing elaborate headgear, photographed in 1929. Digitally restored. Celebrations are held for many occasions such as a tooth-filing (coming-of-age ritual), cremation or odalan (temple festival). One of the most important concepts that Balinese ceremonies have in common is that of dsa kala patra, which refers to how ritual performances must be appropriate in both the specific and general social context. Many of the ceremonial art forms such as wayang kulit and topeng are highly improvisatory, providing flexibility for the performer to adapt the performance to the current situation. Many celebrations call for a loud, boisterous atmosphere with lots of activity and the resulting aesthetic, rame, is distinctively Balinese. Oftentimes two or more gamelan ensembles will be performing well within earshot, and sometimes compete with each other in order to be heard. Likewise, the audience members talk amongst themselves, get up and walk around, or even cheer on the performance, which adds to the many layers of activity and the liveliness typical of rame.

Stone carvings in Ubud. Kaja and kelod are the Balinese equivalents of North and South, which refer to ones orientation between the islands largest mountain Gunung Agung (kaja), and the sea (kelod). In addition to spatial orientation, kaja and kelod have the connotation of good and evil; gods and ancestors are believed to live on the mountain whereas demons live in the sea. Buildings such as temples and residential homes are spatially oriented by having the most sacred spaces closest to the mountain and the unclean places nearest to the sea. Most temples have an inner courtyard and an outer courtyard which are arranged with the inner courtyard furthest kaja. These spaces serve as performance venues since most Balinese rituals are accompanied by any combination of music, dance and drama. The performances that take place in the inner courtyard are classified as wali, the most sacred rituals which are offerings exclusively for the gods, while the outer courtyard is where bebali ceremonies are held, which are intended for gods and people. Lastly, performances meant solely for the entertainment of humans take place outside the walls of the temple and are called bali-balihan. This three-tiered system of classification was standardized in 1971 by a committee of Balinese officials and artists in order to better protect the sanctity of the oldest and most sacred Balinese rituals from being performed for a paying audience. Tourism, Balis chief industry, has provided the island with a foreign audience that is eager to pay for entertainment, thus creating new performance opportunities and more demand for performers. The impact of tourism is controversial since before it became integrated into the economy, the Balinese performing arts did not exist as a capitalist venture, and were not performed for entertainment outside of their respective ritual context. Since the 1930s sacred rituals such as the barong dance have been performed both in their original contexts, as well as exclusively for paying tourists. This has led to new versions of many of these performances which have developed according to the preferences of foreign audiences; some villages have a barong mask specifically for non-ritual performances as well as an older mask which is only used for sacred performances. Balinese society continues to revolve around each family's ancestral village, to which the cycle of life and religion is closely tied.Coercive aspects of traditional society, such

as customary law sanctions imposed by traditional authorities such as village councils (including "kasepekang", or shunning) have risen in importance as a consequence of the democratization and decentralization of Indonesia since 1998.

SOCIETY
Since independence government has no longer been in the hands of the kings. Each village has its own local government called the banjar, which assists the government of the Republic of Indonesia in dealing with the needs of the village such as marriages, religious ceremonies, cremation ceremonies, taking care of temples, irrigation, and so on. One unique nspect of Balinese social life is religion. The Hindu Bali or Hindu-Dharma religion is full of ceremonies and it is therefore not surprising that there are temples everywhere in Bali. Each village has three kinds of temples: the pura puseh an ancient temple which shows the origin of the village; the pura desa, the temple for official village ceremonies; and the pura dalam, the death temple. There are also various other temples such as the pura bedugul the agriculture temple; pura bukit the mountain temple; pura sogara, the sea or coast temple; pura melanting, the temple of the gods. The Balinese kings also used to have private temples called pura panataran. There is also a large group of temples, the Pura Besakih, one temple for each of the kings of Buleleng, Bangli, Den Pasar, Gianyar, Negara, Tabanan, Karangasern and Klungkung. There are two kinds of priests of the Hindu-Dharma religion, i.e. the pedanda and the pemangku The podanda is a fully qualified Hindu priest who only works at the special festivities which inaugurate the annual purification of the village from demons and evil spirits. Pemangku is a priest from the village, also as curator of the pura (temple) he performs the actual ceremony in the temple of the community. The author has often referred to the role of dancing in religious ceremonies. In Bali, nearly all dances are sacral, and because the Balinese attach so much importance to dancing in their cremonies, dances have been excellently preserved and cultivated.

The dances of the native Balinese before the period of Hindu Javanese influence were magical and sacral in nature but were gradually adapted to the Hindu-Dharma religion. Apart from this kind of dances there are also many other dances which are performed purely for entertainment. According to an old Balinese belief, the world is full of dangers that threaten the lives of the people. This belief is rooted in Balinese society, and to avoid these dangers, the people hold a great number of religious observances throughout the year at fixed times. Some of the religious offerings take the form of dances. There are even special dances which function as a means of diverting threatening dangers, usually diseases, an example of which is the-sungbyang dance Because dancing is such an important aspect of Balinese spiritual life, it is not surprising that even the smallest Balinese children take a great interest in dancing. T6 name a few of the many ceremonies held during the year, there is the annual ceremony for driving away evil spirits; the ceremony of prayer for the souls of the dead (the Galungan ceremony); the ceremony for the peace and prosperity of the country; the rites in honour of the birth of important deities; and so on. These ceremonies are usually accompanied by dances and music. The Galungan ceremony, which is a feast in honour of the souls of the ancestors, is full of dances and music. Landmarks in human life which are considered -important subject to magic influence: birth, first cutting of nails and hair, filing of teeth, piercing of ear-lobes, contracting of marriage, and finally death. Cremation of the corpse (Ngaben) is the most important ceremony for human life because it is considered as most mysterious transition to another life. For that reason it is accompained by a lot of offerings, dances and music.

ART IN BALI DANCES

Kecak
Probably the best known of the many Balinese dances, the Kecak is also unusual in that it does not have a gamelan accompaniment. Instead the background is provided by a chanting 'choir' of men who provide the 'chak-a-chak-a-chak' noise. Tourists especially enjoy the performance staged by the Kechak dancers. This dance is also deeply rooted in local tradi- tion and Indian mythology and is inspired by Ramayana, an epic poem written in Sanskrit. The dance brings to life the tale of King Rama, his wife Dewi Sita and his brother Laksamana who were exiled to the forest for 14 years following some complex scheming in a struggle for power. In the forest, they are persecuted by Rahwana, the ogre king who then abducts Dewi Sita and makes her a prisoner of his palace on the Island of Lanka (Ceylon) . Rama strikes an alliance with the monkey people whose army de- feats Rahwanas troups, making it possible for King Rama to rescue his wife. In each Kechak performance, a hundred or so dancers play the monkey army while a few female dancers are assigned specific roles (Dewi Sita, Trijata).

Barong & Rangda

It's the most popular dance for tourists. A straightforward battle between good, the barong, and bad, the rangda. The barong is a strange creature, half shaggy dog, half lion, propelled by two men like a circus clown-horse. The widow-witch rangda is bad though and certainly not the sort of thing you'd like to meet on a midnight stroll through the rice paddies. The Barong dance is truly a triumphant display of bright colors and graceful movements. Greatly appreciated by the tourists, special performances are staged for their benefit, generally in the morning, and last one hour. The villages of Batubulan as well as Tegaltamu and Singapadu, small towns located 30 minutes from the capital, are known for putting on the best performances. There is, however, more to the Barong dance than the folkloristic dimension, It is, in fact, an integral part of the island's culture and has an evident sacred connotation. It isn't rare, in fact, to see the Balinese dancing the Barong during their religious ceremonies, regardless of the presence of tourists. Inspired by an episode taken from Mahabharata, an epic poem written in Sanskrit. the dance evolves around the character of the Barong, the king of the jungle. A mythical animal, not clearly identified (perhaps a lion), he is the symbol of virtue and good, subject to the continuous struggle against the evil forces that threaten life and the integrity of the forest, this being an element very dear to the Balinese population. In detail, the Barong embodies everything that can be beneficial to man, and help him defeat illness. black magic and any other kind of misfortune. The evil entity against which he must relentlessly fight is personified by Rangda, queen of death and devourer of

children. She is characterized by a dark and gloomy mask from which a red tongue of fire hangs. The entire dance is centered around the struggle between these two rival characters. The Barong is interpreted by two dancers whose rhythmic movements bring to life the beautiful and elaborate cos tume they wear. a large animal head skillfully carved out of wood, brightly colored in red, white, black and gold. The end of the Barong dance is like an entirely separate performance. Also known as the Kris dance, it is named after the famous Malese dagger. The idea is based on the philosophical concept rwa bhineda. good and bad, evil and goodness which have always been present and have always existed together albeit in a constant and inevitably unre solved conflict. Nothing will change in the future. While man is left free to try to develop his positive attitudes and let them win over the negative ones, he must nonetheless resign himself to the fact that the presence of both good and evil is a law of nature and as such must be accepted. When the dance is performed, Rangda is the evil spirit which enters the bodies of his victims, usually followers of the Barong, and pushes them to the edge of suicide. The dancers attempt to stab themselves in the chest with their krises until they are finally stopped by the beneficial appearance of the Barong. It is he who will save these unfortunate beings by revealing that the notion of good and evil will always be inevitably present in the world and in everyone's life and that they must therefore accept it.

Kris Dance
In the Barong play, Bali's mythical guardian, Barong, battles Rangda, the demon Queen. barong's supporters are a group of Balinese men with the natural ability to enter a trance state. They are armed with a kris ( traditional sword). Rangda insults Barong and taunts the men- enraged and in a trance they attack her! But her powers are so strong that they are knocked out. When they come to they are so distressed by their failure, that they try to impale themselves on their kris. But their trance state amazingly protects them from injury.

Legong
It's the most graceful of Balinese dances. A legong dancer is known as a young girl, often as young as eight or nine years, rarely older than her early teens. There are various forms of the Legong but the Legong Kraton is the one most often performed.

Baris
The warrior dance, known as the Baris, is traditionally a male equivalent of the Legong femininity and grace give way to energetic and warlike martial spirit.

FOOD IN BALI
Balinese Traditional Foods
Dining in Bali pose endless possibilities as Indonesia has one of the world's greatest cuisine. From a five-star restaurant to a roadside stall, you will be amazed by the choices offered. Tourist-oriented restaurants abound in tourist centers but Indonesian and Chinese food is predominant. Influences from all corners of the globe make up Balinese comestibles. Curries, cucumber, eggplant, Indian mustard and cow peas came from India; the Chinese brought the wok and stir-frying, Chinese mustard, and vegetables such as brassica and Chinese cabbage; from Arabia came kebabs and mouthwatering goat stews, while the Europeans introduced avocados, peanuts, pineapples, guavas, papayas, tomatoes, squashes, pumpkins, cocoa, soybean and cauliflower. Balinese cooking revolves around spices, often partnered by coconut milk, which adds a rich flavor and creamy texture to intriguing dishes of tropical vegetables, poultry, meat and fish. Sugar, fragrant roots and leaves are fondly used and the end result is food that is both subtle and sophisticated. Rice is the basis of any Indonesian meal. A main serving of rice is normally taken first, followed by a small portion of three to four dishes of vegetables or meat, known as lauk. These dishes of lauk are placed in the center of the table for all to share. A side dish or sambal, made with red-hot chilies ground with dried shrimp paste and other seasonings such as lime juice should be taken with caution. It can be scorching for the inexperienced or chili intolerant person, so do not be too adventurous with your sampling. If indeed you are scorched, do not drink water immediately as it will only worsen the situation; instead settle for bananas, plain boiled rice, bread or cucumber. However, delicious side dishes like tempeh, a protein-charged savory cake made of fermented soybeans, and rempeyek, small crisp cookies made of peanuts.

There are many things famous from Bali, the beaches, the temples and also the Balinese people. But one thing you will not forget is the traditional Balinese. Like many other places in Indonesia, Bali has wide range of traditional foods, made from traditional ingredients, bringing you a delight taste as one of culture of Indonesia. The famous traditional Balinese foods are made from pork, duck and chicken. It is hard to find beef menu here since cow is a symbol of holiest animal in Bali. The traditional foods are all served with steam rice and some with vegetables. Most of Balinese food are made for ceremonies, but since everyone wants to taste, the foods are easily to found either in small Warungs or restaurants. Nasi Campur It means Mix Rice in English. Nasi Campur is one of Balinese famous food and it is easy to find everywhere. It contains a bowl of steamed rice, mix with steamed vegetables with shredded spicy coconut, fried nuts, coconut milk, few shreds of fried/dry curry chicken, chopped seasoning, meat or fish, a crispy and sambal (hot traditional chili sauce). Try Nasi Ayam Kedewatan at Ubud, Seminyak or Renon for original taste of Balinese Nasi Campur. Lawar Lawar is very famous at Bali, with chopped of meat, vegetable, spices and coconut mixed together. Ayam or Bebek Betutu This food can be made from chicken or duck, chopped or not, and filled up with spices such as turmeric, ginger, kencur, galangal, onion, garlic, salam leaf, and chilies inside.

ETIQUETTE IN BALI
Social behavior is something which defines a person's upbringing. The way you behave in a foreign land defines your own culture. Etiquette is the lone phrase which defines the code of conduct or how a person interacts with another. Patterns of behavior are different for different country so, it is very important for a person to understand the social behavior and ethics of that country before visiting it. While going through the Bali Travel Guide it is very important for a tourist to go through the Etiquette and Behavior in Bali thoroughly and know the Culture of Bali. Whatever might be the reason for your visit to Bali, knowing the proper etiquette is a must. Social occasions are important in Bali. There is a largeMuslim community in Bali. If you participate in the fasting month that is Ramzan you should behave in a proper way and this falls under the Bali Etiquette and Behavior. People are served an elaborate menu refusing which would be disrespect to the person. Elaborate dining is a common affair for the people. Another remarkable aspect of the customs is the slaughter of animals during various ceremonies. Different parts of these animals are offered to different people. If you participate in the ceremony and refuse to accept the gift it means you are disrespecting the person who offers you that. Etiquette and Behavior in Bali is an essential component that falls under Bali Useful Information while you visit this place. It is not only necessary to maintain codes of etiquette in the social ceremonies. Etiquette and Behavior in Bali is also very important when you visit the place for business. There are certain norms and behavior that you need to follow while on a business meeting to Bali. If you are hosting a meeting in Bali it is very important that you offer beverages like tea or coffee to the participants. If you are participating in a meeting then it is necessary to drink refreshments even if you are not thirsty. Using the left hand is a mark of contempt. Another remarkable point in the list of Etiquette and Behavior in Bali in Indonesia is the way you call a person. Calling a person with your fingers above is a bad manner. Politeness is the keyword for every occasion in Bali. So, before visiting Bali it is extremely important to go through the etiquettes and customs there.

CUSTOM IN BALI
Each stage of Balinese life is marked by a series of ceremonies and rituals known as Manusa Yadnya. They contribute to the rich, varied and active life the average Balinese leads. Birth The first ceremony of Balinese life takes place even before birth. Another ceremony takes place soon after the birth, during which the afterbirth is buried with appropriate offerings. The first major ceremony takes place halfway through the baby's first Balinese year of 210 days. Names Basically the Balinese only have four first names. The first child is Wayan or Putu, the second child is Made or Kadek, the third is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is Ketut. The fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth will be another Wayan, Made, Nyoman, Ketut and Wayan again. Childhood The Balinese certainly love children and they have plenty of them to prove it. Coping with a large family is made much easier by the policy of putting younger children in the care of older ones. After the ceremonies of babyhood come ceremonies marking the stages of childhood and puberty, including the important tooth-filing ceremony.

The Household There are many modern Balinese houses, but there are still a great number of traditional Balinese homes. The streets of Ubud; nearly every house will follow the same traditional walled design

Marriage Every Balinese expects to marry and raise a family, and marriage takes places at a comparatively young age. Marriages are not, in general, arranged as they are in many other Asian communities although strict rules apply to marriages between the castes. There are two basic forms of marriage in Bali - mapadik and ngorod. The respectable form, in which the family of the man visit the family of the woman and politely propose that the marriage take place, is mapadik. The Balinese, however, like their fun and often prefer marriage by elopement (ngorod) as the most exciting option. Of course, the Balinese are also a practical people so nobody is too surprised when the young man spirits away his bride-tobe, even if she loudly protests about being kidnapped. The couple go into hiding and somehow the girl's parents, no matter how assiduously they search, never manage to find her. Eventually the couple re-emerge, announce that it is too late to stop them now, the marriage is officially recognized and everybody has had a lot of fun and games. Marriage by elopement has another advantage apart from being exciting and mildly heroic it's cheaper. . Men & Women There are certain tasks clearly to be handled by women, and others reserved for men. Social life in Bali is relatively free and easy. In Balinese leisure activities the roles are also sex differentiated. Both men and women dance but only men play the gamelan. Today you do see some women painters, sculptors, and woodcarvers. Community Life Balinese have an amazingly active and organized village life. You simply cannot be a faceless nonentity in Bali. You can't help but get to know your neighbors as your life is so entwined and interrelated with theirs.

SUMMARY OF BALI
Bali may be small in size you can drive around the entire coast in one long day but its prominence as a destination is huge, and rightfully so. Ask travellers what Bali means to them and youll get as many answers as there are flowers on a frangipani tree. Virescent rice terraces, pulse-pounding surf, enchanting temple ceremonies, mesmerising dance performances and ribbons of beaches are just some of the images people cherish. Small obviously doesnt mean limited. The manic whirl of Kuta segues into the luxury of Seminyak. The artistic swirl of Ubud is a counterpoint to misty treks amid the volcanoes. Mellow beach towns like Amed, Lovina and Pemuteran can be found right round the coast and just offshore is the laid-back idyll of Nusa Lembongan. As you stumble upon the exquisite little offerings left all over the island that materialise as if by magic, youll see that the tiny tapestry of colours and textures is a metaphor for Bali itself. And those are just some of the more obvious qualities. A visit to Bali means that you are in the most visitor-friendly island of Indonesia. There are pleasures of the body, whether a massage on the beach or a hedonistic interlude in a sybaritic spa. Shopping that will put extra bag at the top of your list. Food and drink ranging from the freshest local cuisine bursting with the flavours of the markets to food from around the globe, often prepared by chefs and served in restaurants that are world class. From a cold Bintang at sunset to an epic night clubbing in Kuta, your social whirl is limited only by your own fortitude.

REFERENCES
: Indonesia: History, Geography, Government, and Culture Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107634.html#ixzz1Xt3XYqid http://www.all-bali.com/culturecustoms.html http://www.marimari.com/content/bali/food/main.html http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/indonesia/bali/usefulinformation/etiquette-and-behavior-in-bali.html http://www.bali-travelnet.com/newsdet/detil/15/Balinese_Traditional_Foods/ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia/bali

TABLE OF CONTENT
NO CONTENT 1 INFORMATION ABOUT INDONESIA -HISTORY 2 RELIGION 3 CULTURE 4 SOCIETY 5 ART IN BALI DANCES -KECAK -BARONG AND RANGDA -KRIS DANCE -LEGONG -BARIS 6 FOOD IN BALI -NASI CAMPUR -LAWAR -AYAM OR BEBEK BETUTU 7 ETIQUETTE IN BALI 8 CUSTOM IN BALI -BIRTH -NAMES -CHILDHOOD -THE HOUSEHOLD -MARRIAGE -MAN AND WOMEN -COMMUNITY LIFE 9 SUMMARY OF BALI 10 REFERENCES PAGE