The strange customs of Bali people in Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia is also known as the "Island of Thousands of Temples". Hindu believers in Bali account for about 90% of the total population of 4 million. There are nearly 15,000 temples on the island. In Bali, various temples can be seen everywhere, whether in shops or government agencies. In Bali, there are as many as 198 religion-related festivals throughout the year. All human activities must be based on God's will, so everything we do must have rules.

The location of the

is based on lottery in Bali. There are fixed rules when to sit and walk, and when to play music and incense. Even island residents get married on blind dates, get pregnant and have children, name children, file teeth, funerals and even girls 'menarche all have corresponding religious customs and ritual rules. Everything must not be urgent or chaotic, and everything must be carried out step by step.

Balinese people usually hold a naming ceremony presided over by an eminent monk when a child is 1 years old. People with high prestige on the scene are asked to write different names on a number of pieces of paper, and then let the child grab it himself. If he catches any piece of paper, he will call it the name written on it.

Teeth cannot get rid of evil without filing. Locals believe that a person's six front teeth and canine teeth represent six kinds of evil, including laziness, non-belief, and unfirmness. If you do not file them down, you cannot get rid of evil and become a wise and courageous person. Therefore, a tooth filing ceremony will be held when the boy is 17 years old and the girl is 15 years old. The so-called tooth filing ceremony is to file flat the front teeth and dog teeth. It is one of the indispensable rituals for children of Bali and other ethnic groups to enter adulthood.

Those who have their teeth filed must wear traditional national costumes and be quarantined in an empty room for three days before the ceremony. The residual teeth that have been filed should be put into yellow-dyed coconut shells and buried next to the shrine of our ancestors. During the ceremony, there is usually a "Gamelan" band playing music to add to the fun, and wealthy families will also invite shadow puppet troupe to sing a big drama.

The first period of the girl's menarche ceremony is very grand. The body cleaning ceremony is held during the girl's menarche period. It is one of the most important rituals in the life of a girl in Bali. Girls must be confined in their bedroom during menarche, with fresh coconut leaves hanging in front of the door. No man or outsider is allowed to enter or even approach the girl's bedroom during this period. The family of a rich and noble girl would also ring a bell in the village for her, announcing that the girl had reached the flower season and could marry.

After menarche, his family will hold a lively body purification ceremony in a public religious place. The girl behind Jing was wearing a gold thread embroidered silk dress and a laurel woven from flowers. She sat on the shoulders of a strong young man and was carried into the ceremony hall. After the festive and lengthy ceremony, the girl, accompanied by her family, would also take a float to the temple to worship the gods and thank them, and would also hold a banquet at home to worship the gods and entertain guests.

The shapes of shrines are different. In Bali, whether in urban or rural areas, almost every family houses shrines, ranging from one or two to more than a dozen.

The temples in Bali are similar in style to those in today's Japan. The shape of the shrine is much like a reduced version of the China Four Corner Hall with a spires. Some shrines are built directly on the ground in front and back of the courtyard, while others stand high on stone pillars, a bit like lighthouses. The shrines are generally carved from local black volcanic stone, of varying sizes, and the four sides are open under the spires for worshiping believers to put flower boxes or incense.

In the eyes of local people, the image of gods can come from personal imagination and love. It can be tigers, elephants, monkeys and other animals, or it can be a combination of humans and animals. Therefore, the statues of gods across Bali are carved with thousands of faces and holes, with different looks and full of rich imagination and artistic creativity.