If you ever doubt the level of spirituality in Bali, simply look to their Nyepi festival. Probably no where else in the world is there an island which absolutely shuts down for spiritual reasons.<\/p>\n
Before Nyepi, there is Melasti which involves an elaborate ceremony to burn effigies of evil monsters and cleanse the island. Then comes Nyepi, which is known as the day of silence to fool demons into thinking that the island is inhabited, thus leaving Bali alone in peace for another year.<\/p>\n
In most cultures where economic forces relentlessly shape our lifestyles, it is refreshing to see that in Bali, belief in the otherworldly takes precedence, even if it’s just for one day a year.<\/p>\n
2. Unburied corpses on Trunyan<\/strong><\/p>\n Visitors who have never heard of the Trunyan Village might get the shock of their lives as they come across decomposing corpses under bamboo fences, and skulls lined neatly in a row. Relax, it is neither the scene of the next horror blockbuster nor the site of a cannibalistic village. It is a unique traditional method of burial for the Bali Aga indigenous people. They believe that this is the way to bury men who had been married, people who are still single and children who have lost their baby teeth. Those who died of unnatural causes, however, were buried.<\/p>\n The strange thing about this method of leaving bodies to decompose is that bodies do not emit the stench of rotting flesh, despite being left there for many months! It is believed that the fragrance of the Taru Menyan tree absorbs the odor.<\/p>\n Women are forbidden from going to the cemetery when a dead body is being carried there as it is believed that there will be a disaster in the village, such as a landslide or a volcanic eruption.<\/p>\n 3. Tanah Lot\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Tanah is one of the most iconic temples of Bali, and also the temple with many myths and legends surrounding it.<\/p>\n Bali has been villianised in popular media as a ‘break up island<\/a>‘, and particular focus has been given to Tanah Lot<\/a>, which is supposedly off-limits to unmarried couples. Some say that those unmarried couples who insist on watching the sunset at Tanah Lot may well be watching the sun go down on their own relationship…<\/p>\n Another myth takes on gigantic proportions. According to Balinese legend, it is believed that the founder of the island built a coastal temple and turned his shawl into a giant sea snake that guards the temple of Tanah Lot. Talk about taking security seriously!<\/p>\n We are not sure about the giant snake, but there may be some truth to it, as there are sea snakes inside the temple’s cave. If you do visit the snakes in the cave, be respectful, you don’t want them to bite, and you certainly don’t want to incur the potential wrath of a giant snake that might be lurking in the depths below the temple…<\/p>\n What other Balinese cultural traditions do you know of? What about myths and legends? We’d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n