September 21, 2019
Bali is one of the rare islands where Hinduism prevails within Indonesia's Muslim-majority structure. This condition makes Bali quite distinct from the rest of the country. The prevalence of Hinduism on the island has shaped almost every aspect of its culture, from daily life to family relations, calendar systems, and rituals surrounding life and death.
Inspired by a cultural book written for children unique to Bali, we compiled eight of the most striking traditions we encountered on the island.
When you ask someone their name in Bali, you usually hear a name indicating their birth order before their personal name.
The first child is named Wayan or Luh (meaning "first"), the second child Kadek ("second"), the third Nyoman or Komang, and the fourth Ketut. After four, the sequence resets back to the beginning, with the fifth child being named "first" again.
Since families in Bali typically have one or two children, families with three or four children—and consequently the name Ketut—are quite rare.
Personal names are given three months after birth, based on the child's appearance. So if the first child is named "Apple," their full name becomes "Wayan Apple," or "First Apple." In daily life, however, people usually introduce themselves by the names that indicate their birth order.
In Bali, religion appears not only in temples but constantly throughout daily life. One of the most visible examples of this is small offerings called canang sari.
Prepared inside bamboo baskets, these altars can contain flowers, rice, chocolate, and sometimes even cigarettes. Placed in front of houses, on street corners, at crossroads, and in temples, the purpose of canang sari is to please the gods and ward off evil spirits.
These small offerings serve as one of the best examples showing how naturally integrated religious faith is into everyday life in Bali.
Some Balinese beliefs also shape how daily events are understood. For instance, according to Balinese Hinduism, evil spirits can only travel in straight lines and cannot turn corners.
Because of this, four-way intersections are believed to be the places where evil spirits gather most densely, which is why accidents are thought to happen more frequently there.
A priest is summoned to an intersection where an accident has occurred to perform a blessing ceremony. During the ceremony, roosters are placed inside a bamboo cage. It is believed that evil spirits will be distracted by the roosters and leave the crash victim alone.
One of the traditions that demonstrates the impact of religious beliefs on daily life most vividly is Nyepi, or the Day of Silence.
Celebrated annually according to the Balinese calendar, Nyepi is a day of silence lasting from 6:00 AM to 6:00 AM the following morning. During this period, everyone stays at home to meditate; working, traveling, and entertainment are forbidden. In some practices, even eating is banned.
Although tourists and non-Hindus are exempt from these religious practices, no one is allowed out on the streets that day. Even the island's only airport remains closed all day long.
When you think about it, an island inhabited by millions of people and hosting millions of tourists every year falling almost completely silent for an entire day is truly extraordinary.
Even measuring time in Bali is a bit different from what we are used to. To track religious days, the Pawukon and Saka calendars are used in addition to the Gregorian calendar.
In the Pawukon calendar, a year consists of 210 days and features 10 different week systems, with weeks ranging from 7 to 10 days.
The most interesting aspect of this calendar is that it does not count years. According to this system, technically no one knows their true age.
In Bali, not only humans but also manufactured objects are part of religious rituals.
A blessing ceremony is held for a newly purchased scooter, car, or electronic device, and this ceremony is repeated every 210 days according to the Balinese calendar. According to belief, if this ceremony is not performed, the object begins causing problems and eventually becomes unusable.
Thus, religious rituals find a place not only during major life events like birth, death, or holidays, but also within the items used daily.
The belief system in Bali also shapes how the relationship between birth and death is viewed. The birth of a child is seen as the return of a previously deceased family relative into the world.
Before giving birth, a pregnant woman visits a medium to learn whose spirit the baby carries. After birth, the baby is not allowed to touch the ground until reaching 108 days of age, as it is believed that their spirit still belongs to the divine realm during this period.
A local mother we met confirmed to us her belief that her child carried the spirit of her family's great-grandfather.
Perhaps one of the most surprising traditions in Bali is mepandes, or the tooth filing ceremony, which young people attend upon reaching adolescence.
Attended by nearly everyone, this ceremony involves filing down pointed teeth to make them flat. The belief behind it is symbolic: it aims to ritually "cut away" six negative traits considered human animalistic tendencies - lust, greed, sloth, anger, pride, and jealousy.
Therefore, filing teeth is viewed not merely as a physical change, but as a ritual symbolizing a person's transition into adulthood and leaving negative traits behind.
These traditions, deeply woven into everyday life in Bali, reveal a world that goes far beyond the island's touristy surface. From a small offering on the street to a baby's first step on the ground, from a scooter in use to the teeth of young adults, traces of religious faith can be seen in almost every area of life.
Which of these traditions surprised you the most?