The culture
of Bali is unique. People say that the Balinese people
have reached self-content. It is not an exaggeration
that when a Balinese is asked what heaven is like,
he would say, just like Bali, without the worries
of mundane life. They want to live in Bali, to be
cremated in Bali when they die, and to reincarnate
in Bali.
It does
not mean that the Balinese resist changes. Instead,
they adapt it to their own system. This goes back
far in history. Prior to the arrival of Hinduism in
Bali and
in other parts of Indonesia, people practice animism.
When Hinduism arrives, the practice of Hinduism is
adapted to local practices. The brand of Hinduism
practiced in Bali is much different from that in India.
Other aspects of life flow this way.
Traditional
paintings, faithfully depicting religious and mythological
symbolisms, met with Western and modern paintings,
giving birth to contemporary paintings,free in its
creative topics yet strongly and distinctively Balinese.
Its dance, its music, and its wayang theaters, while
have been continually enriched by contemporary and
external artistry, are still laden with religious
connotations, performed mostly to appease and to please
the gods and the goddesses. Wood and stone carvings,
gold and silver crafts parallel the development of
paintings, gracefully evolving with external forces
to enhance their characters.
Bali has a tropical climate, which is influenced by
seasonal wind pattern and alternate every six months.
There are two seasons: the dry season from April to
October and the rainy season from October to April.
With such climate, Bali is in inhibited by variety
of tropical flora and fauna.