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Balinese people believe that each of us got four brothers who always accompany us since we were still in the womb of our mother until we are dead. This belief is called Kanda Pat which literally means the four brothers. Just like the movie Fantastic Four, these four brothers have their own super power. So who are these brothers and what are their names?

When a mother gives a birth, there are four major things which enable the birth process succeeded they are blood, placenta, the fetal membrane and the umbilical cord or the birth cord. However, from the Balinese point of view, those four ‘birth add on’ are spiritually considered as the ‘big brothers’ who will protect the baby in this world.

Let me introduce you to the four big brothers. The blood is called Sang Kala, the placenta is called Sang Anta, the fetal membrane is called Sang Dengen and the birth cord is called Preta. How do these guys protect the baby? First of all, Balinese people will sacrifice  some offering to them and with special mantras then we can ‘call’ them to come to protect us, in case of emergency such as being attacked by black magic or ghosts.

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A friend of mine who is currently living in Washington DC asked me questions about Ngaben, the cremation ceremony of Balinese Hindu. At first, I was wondering why she asked such questions which I believed she can easily get tons of answers on the webs. Then I tried to find out about Ngaben in search engines. I found most of the explanations about Ngaben on the web is way too formal. It is way too a, […] Continue Reading…

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As the main tourists destination in the world, Bali has become a major tourism industry in Indonesia. Everything seems to be organized and sometimes ‘forced’ by the local government in order to meet the world class of tourism standard. Everything from accommodation industry, restaurants, bars, places of interests, tourism transportation, tour organizers, to name a few. Well, it is good to see everything is organized in Bali and most of the services above are handled by major […] Continue Reading…

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I am sure you will have a fun when it is time to change your own money/currency (such as US dollar) into the local rupiah currency. That’s because the exchange rate is way too far between local rupiah and your dollar bills. Just imagine, one US dollar equals to 9.200 - 9.500 local rupiah so $100 roughly can be converted into almost one million rupiah. Thats the average of hotel employee monthly pay who maybe just happen […] Continue Reading…

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Balinese people just can’t help them toward religious ceremonies and other ritual related things. Something that even I myself sometimes do not understand why as I compared it to the original source of Hinduism which is India. Yeah I know those who called themselves Balinese culture experts  would say that, you can not compare Hindu in Bali and Hindu in India because what exist in Bali a mixture between religion, Balinese culture and local genius (local idiot?). […] Continue Reading…

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Balinese language is pretty much related to the caste system which still exist among Balinese society. The way you speak Balinese language is depending to whom you are talking to. There are 4 castes in Bali and they are Brahmana (the highest), Ksatria, Waisya and Sudra. You can not speak the same Balinese language when you talk to me (Sudra) and then talk to a Brahmana one. It is a taboo. In general there are three levels […] Continue Reading…

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Buying painting is one the favorite things visitors do in Bali. There are many places to do so such as art shops, art galleries, art studios and whatever the names are, they are all in one business which is selling paintings. The flourishing of what so called art places have resulted in a difficulty of finding a real genuine Balinese art work. Instead, what you most likely see will be a mass produced art work with same […] Continue Reading…

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There is a belief among Balinese husband that it is a taboo to do a haircut during the pregnancy of their wives. Actually that is not a part of Hindu principles, it is only a culture which turn into a rule most Balinese husbands would follow. They believe that something really bad will happen to the baby if they do a haircut. I myself do not have a clear idea what kind of consequence will occur if […] Continue Reading…

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This article is not intended to offend somebody/certain group of people. Just for informational purpose only.

A friend asked me an interesting question, how to become a Balinese. I was little bit surprised as the question has a universal meaning plus I was wondering why the h*ll would somebody wants to become a Balinese. Becoming a Balinese could be (mostly) interpreted to be a Balinese Hindu. Finally she told me that she is gonna married to a Balinese […] Continue Reading…

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Karma is one of the main principle of Balinese life which is based on Hinduism called karmapala. The word karma though is well known not only among Balinese but almost everyone in Indonesia seems familiar to it. The word karmapala derived from two words: karma means ‘action’ and pala is a kind of fruit. Literally karmapala means the result of your action however it generally understood that karma is something that you got for what you have […] Continue Reading…

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“Sir, sir buy me, buy me please, from morning not selling”. Thats a very popular expression you most likely heard once you’re in a traditional market in Bali such as Sukawati Art Market. Do not get it wrong, they do not intend to sell themselves to you, instead they insist hope that you would buy something from them, the items they are selling such as sarong, hat and other traditional Balinese souvenirs.

Remember, take your time to browse […] Continue Reading…

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