Bali – a brief description

Bali lies among the Lesser Sunda Islands, eight degrees south of the equator, surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea. The island covers 5,561 square kilometres, stretching 145 kilometres from west to east and 95 kilometres from north to south. Bali is criss-crossed by volcanic mountains – the highest is Gunung Agung at 3,142 metres. All year round the climate is heavenly, with temperatures between 20 and 33 degrees Celsius.

There is plenty of water for wet-rice cultivation. The Balinese created a landscape of great beauty for the rice goddess Dewi Sri, so that this goddess of fertility would benevolently provide food and prosperity. The rainy season lasts from November to March; rain usually falls only locally, often several times a day for short spells. The farmers channel the water into the rice fields with great skill.

Religion and festivals

Religion came to the island from India via Java in the 8th century and merged with the local ancestor cult. Hindu Bali, or Hindu Dharma as the religion is called, is a blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and the veneration of ancestors and souls.

Countless ceremonies and festivals shape Balinese life. Every day, offerings in small palm-leaf trays with incense are laid out in various places to stay on good terms with gods and demons alike. The island is covered with innumerable temples, large and small, where ceremonies are held throughout the year according to the Balinese calendar.

The most important religious holidays are the Galungan festival and, ten days later, Kuningan day. The Hindu new year festival Nyepi originated in India but is celebrated in this form only on Bali – usually in March, following the lunar calendar.

Food and drink

Typical local dishes, available in every restaurant, include nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles) and sate (chicken, pork or beef skewers). The national drinks are water, coffee and tea. The Balinese rarely drink alcohol: tuak (palm wine), arrak (rice spirit) and brem (Balinese rice wine) all have a taste of their own.

An island hard to take apart

Daily life on Bali is shaped by many influences – history, religion, art, the village community and a lush tropical landscape. The Balinese weave all these elements inseparably into their everyday lives. That is hard to grasp for visitors, who tend to look at things separately – and perhaps precisely why the island of Bali is so fascinating.