Have you ever seen a Balinese dog?I am sure you must have. These small, ugly animals are everywhere. They lurk in every corner in groups of four or five, peering at you in defiance with their small beady eyes, their tails jigging in the air. If you are, like myself, a white-skinned Caucasian, they can identify you immediately from your body odour, since we stink – the Balinese say Westerners stink like calves, and it might be true – and so they bark at you relentlessly, until you set off in a ru...

Winter is coming and Bali is all prepared to deal with it in party style. Kibarer Property has lined up the perfect week full of events for you to attend.JASON STONE AT SOKADANI L MEBIUS & CHERRYL AT SKY GARDENSHIFTER AT JENJALEEA & SARAH KETAREN AT LXXYJIMI JULES AT JENJAINDONESIA TOGETHER AT OMNIAHOOK N SLING AT ENVIE2ND ANNIVERSARY LEVEL 21 THE SHAPESHIFTERS AT MRS SIPPYSUN-S AT SOKA

If there has been an important behavioural notion that has been imported from India to Bali, it is the notion of purity, or rather the avoidance of impurity, nirmala – not impure. To the Balinese, spiritual impurity is indeed a dreadful condition. First place, it is niskala (invisible) by nature, thus subjected to forces that are beyond control, and require complex cleansing ceremonies and offerings. Secondly, impurity affects the whole community. Events are cancelled, rule of avoidance hav...

While the Balinese seem to go about their daily lives in a fairly normal way, in reality it is just a cover. What they really like to do is attend ceremonies and functions where they can dress up!Bali is a culture where the adherents just love to get put on costumes. From an early age – almost from birth, children are swathed in fabric and headgear – with rich patterns and textures of textiles – some heirlooms, some copies of the real thing – but they are always luscious.Different ceremonies req...

Baris dance is one important dance usually performed as the opening to a sacred ritual or big religious ceremony in temples in the villages of Bali. The dance plays an important role as it symbolises the welcoming of deities, gods and goddesses that are believed have come down from heaven to witness the rituals. The role is more or less similar to the Rejang Dance.Unlike the Rejang that showcases the graciousness performed by a group of teenage girls or married ladies, the Baris Dance tends to d...