Bali is one big sculpture. Every status is manicured and polished with such delicate details, every niche and field is carved by men. The surface of the island is marked by deep ravines, fast flowing river, and a stretch of volcanic chain. On the plains of Bali, rice fields are exquisitely carved out of hills and valleys, and the water is just sparkling with green. Besides rice, crops such as tea, cacao, groundnuts and tropical fruits flourish in the island.

Balinese are skilled artists. They do extremely well in woodcarving. The women of Bali are noted for their traditional dancing and for their skills in weaving clothes from thread as well as embroidering silk and cotton.

The majority of Balinese believe in the teaching of Hinduism. Unlike Hinduism in India, in Bali Hinduism has developed on its own line of faith. The Balinese are scared witless of ghosts, goblins, and the like, which could disguise themselves as black cats, naked women, and the crows. Sp

irits dominate everything the Balinese do, and they are constantly offering fruit and flowers to calm down angry deities. According to the Balinese faith, there are sun gods, deer gods, deities, and many other gods. Clay figures of some of the gods are put in the house. Offerings are then offered to these figures. Usually the offerings consist of banana leaves holding a few grains of rice, fruits and flowers.

One of the famous festival is called Ngaben which the cremation ceremony of the dead. For the Balinese, cremation liberates the soul of the dead, allowing it to journey to heaven to rejoin the Hindu cycle of reincarnation. Bodies are buried twice in Bali, once at death, and again after being exhumed and cremated. These funerals are a time of cheerfulness, offerings, and dances, all brightened by the continuous gamelan music.

The corpse is then carried in a noisy procession to the cremation grounds. On the way it is spun around the men's shoulder s to confuse the soul and prevent it from finding its way back to its house where it might make mischief for the living.

The splendid tower, offerings and coffin are then set ablaze. After the blaze subsides, the eldest son rakes the ashes to make sure all the flesh is burned. To free the soul, the ashes are carried out to sea and scattered.

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Some topics in this essay:
According Balinese, Balinese Bali, Bali Hinduism, Asia Pacific, , Indian Ocean, Island Gods, island bali, menstruating women, island balinese, tropical fruits, paradise island,