Colors of Bali - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

The majority of residents of Bali are Muslim, so they follow numerous religious customs and traditions. Travellers should also respect the established local way of life in order not to look rude and not to cause any confusion among the local population. Thus, the local women are prohibited from wearing revealing clothes and too catchy outfits of bright colors. Tourists should wear beach dressing only when they are on a beach. A walk in the city in a sporting suit may also be regarded as a sign of bad manners and bad taste. When you prepare to visiting the local religious sites, you should also pick up your clothes carefully. It should be strict and preferably dark. The locals are very slow and reasonable. They always use low voice to speak on the streets and other public places of Bali. Travellers should also not raise their voices and do not use active gestures and body language during communication. The local body language is worth a separate, more detailed discussion. In Bali you cannot use your finger to point to a person. Touching other people’s heads while talking or greeting is also prohibited. Such gestures can greatly offend the locals.

When you attend a restaurant or visit a house of a local resident, make sure you do not sit with your legs crossed. This position is considered a sign of secrecy, mistrust and disrespect. In general, the people of Bali are very cordial and friendly. They are happy to help tourists to get to the local places of interest and will actively support a conversation on any subject. There are not so many forbidden themes for talking. You shouldn’t start a discussion concerning the prevailing political system in Bali, as well as criticize the Balinese way of life.

Despite the fact that the traditional western calendar is used for chronology in Bali, the local residents keep using the two authentic national calendars. These calendars are called «wuku» and «saka» and are used to determine the dates of the Balinese national holidays. Galungan festival is considered the main national holiday according to the wuku calendar. During ten days a solemn procession of people dressed in beautiful festive dresses moves from one church to another. A mythical creature Galungan, which is a mixture of a lion and a dog, is considered the main symbol of the festival. The main celebration according to the saka calendar is Nyepi. This is the so called Balinese New Year, which is usually celebrated in late March. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

When coming to Bali, get ready to be lost in the festive atmosphere of fun holidays, bright religious celebrations and ceremonies, sports and entertainment shows and endless festivals. One of the most vivid Balinese festivals is Odalan, which starts together with Gulungan festival and lasts for 10 days. During these days, local people dress up colorful outfits, costumes that symbolize mythical creatures and spirits and go from a house to house, from village to city, from temple to temple, dancing and singing cheerful songs. In short, nothing can cut their fun and Balinese people know that perfectly. Do not think that Bali is only about beaches, religious festivals, and authentic culture.

Here you can also indulge in the atmosphere of beauty and art, especially during the Bali Arts Festival, which takes place annually. You will have almost a month to learn the Balinese culture more deeply. Sounds exciting, right? So, during the festival, you can visit more than a hundred ethnographic concerts prepared by delegations from all over the world and complete an immersion if the world of culture under Balinese blue sky. The main activities are held at the Art Center "Taman Budaya" in Denpasar.

In July-August, local people are celebrating the main annual festival - Kuta. The event lasts for almost two weeks. This holiday is truly delightful and you are going to enjoy a tireless fun! During Kuta festival, you will get acquainted with Balinese national dishes, visit bright parades, exciting sports tournaments, and concerts, and enjoy vivid nightly fireworks. Not surprising that Kuta is considered the most fun event of the island, due to the fact that all the tourists and almost half of local people gather together to indulge in this "madness of joy". In June you can also visit the Festival of Kites. So if you love to observe the flights of hundreds of colorful dragon kites, do not miss such an opportunity in Bali, when the whole sky will blossom with beautiful monsters, an unmatched spectacle, Hollywood "died" of envy... In case you are a great fan of jazz music, do not miss the annual Jazz festival in November. During ten days you will have a chance to listen to the best professional musicians who arrived in Bali from all over the world.