On Monday night, the streets of villages and cities all over Bali were traversed by giant papier mache scary demons called ogoh-ogoh. In Bali’s capital Denpasar, where I was staying, the ogoh-ogoh parade was huge and went for hours and hours. It was such a big event that all the ogoh-ogohs didn’t even go on the same route… several mini-parades leading into the center of town to try (but ultimately fail) to limit congestion.
So what’s it all about? It’s part of the celebrations for Balinese Hindus to welcome the new year, and, well, there’s a few stories. Some say that the ogoh-ogoh are paraded and then burned to scare away demons from the island. The next day, on Nyepi, the day of silence to welcome the Saka New Year, if the demons and bad spirits come back to Bali, the island will be so quiet and dark that they will think it has been abandoned and leave again.
Other theories go that the ogoh-ogoh and offerings are actually gifts to bad spirits to appease them and honor them.
Heaps more pics, including some that are actually clear taken before sunset haha, after the jump…
[keep reading…]
Tweet 
Delicious 
Digg 
Facebook 
Ping 
Stumble
Melasti, a purification festival (above, the men are dipping the temple umbrellas into the sea to cleanse them), is held three days before the Nyepi day of silence in Bali which marks the beginning of the Saka New Year. I witnessed several such ceremonies on Saturday, including a dawn ceremony, at Sanur Beach. Today (Tuesday) is the day of silence, but there are very loud children in the hotel I’m locked up in, so while the rest of the island is in silence, I’m kinda being driven insane by noise. The irony.
You can read more about Melasti and the leadup to Nyepi in this story I wrote for the Jakarta Globe. It’s a very interesting tradition.
Here’s a ton more pictures of the ceremonies after the jump.
[keep reading…]
Tweet Delicious Digg Facebook Ping Stumble
1. Form
The rambutan. You see them on sale everywhere in Indonesia during the rainy season. Inside, they are kinda like lychees or longan, but it has a different type of seed and flavor.
They are yummy and sweet (they taste a little grape like, but sweeter), but the color of them blows me away more than anything else. As they progress from unripe to ripe, they move from green to yellow through shades of orange to a deep dark red that looks like I’ve bumped up the photo saturation, but it’s the real color. The deepest red ones are the most delicious.
2.Color
I also love the little spikes… the spikes change color along their length, often with a dash of green or black at their extremities.
They are one of the good things about rainy season. Unfortunately durian season is at the same time and I still can’t stand the smell of those things, let alone the taste.
3. Skin up close
4. Inside
Tweet Delicious Digg Facebook Ping Stumble
