What religion is in Bali? A clear answer to this question does not exist, since the inhabitants of this Indonesian island profess several beliefs. Although there is a predominant religion - Balinese Hinduism. It is very peculiar, representing an alloy of indigenous beliefs, worship of Shiva and Buddhism. More about this, as well as about other religions of the islands, will be described in the article.
Several directions
Bali is one of the provinces of Indonesia, located on the island of the same name in the Malay archipelago. People living on it profess the following religions:
- Agama Hindu Dharma, Bali Hinduism, 83.5%.
- Islam - 13.3%.
- Christianity - 1.7%.
- Buddhism - 0.5%.
As can be seen from the above figures, Hinduism is the predominant direction. However, Hinduism cannot be described as a single religion. It includes a lot of diverse traditions and beliefs. This fully applies to the religion of Bali.
General view
Balinese Hinduism is a symbiosis that includes:
- Beliefs of locals.
- The teachings of the god Siva, which came from India.
- Buddhism in the form of Mahayana (Great Chariot).
At the heart of this religion is the philosophy of Hinduism, combined with cult ceremonies that are rooted in the pagan ideas of the natives. Especially paganism is manifested in the existence of a cult of natural phenomena and the worship of ancestors.
Nature is perceived as a higher power, and each of its components has its own spirits, which are appeased by offering to their altars of products. Mountains play an important role in beliefs, which, in the view of the Balinese, are a haven of gods and ancestors.
Believers build their whole life with a focus on the mountains. Before starting any business, they always consult with the priests, trying to find out how the gods and demons react to this.
The religion of Bali is known worldwide for magical rituals, offerings that follow each other, maintaining harmony between the two worlds - gods and people.
History of occurrence
The emergence of Hinduism in Bali is closely related to the island of Java. At the beginning of the XI century, the local prince of Airlang conquered the eastern territory of the island of Java and wanted to unite it with Bali under his rule.
Having done this, he placed his brother as the governor of Bali, which connected both islands politically and culturally. The Balinese adopted Kawi - the Javanese language and use it to this day, although in a slightly modified form.
After the death of the prince, internecine wars began, and in the 14th century the island fell under the control of Java. In the 16th century, the last Hindu empire of Majapahit fell in Java. Meanwhile, Islam began to spread from Sumatra to Java. Most of the clergy, aristocrats, artists of the Majapahit empire were forced to flee to Bali. It is from them that the Hindu religion began to spread, which has become the main one.
The main postulates
The main religion of Bali is based on the following five postulates:
- In the world there is one Supreme God - Brahman.
- The universal principle of life and consciousness is the world soul - atma.
- The fate of each person and his subsequent rebirths directly depend on his actions and actions - karma.
- There is a wheel of samsara - the cycle of life and death.
- With the right life, it is possible to get rid of this cycle - moksha.
Main gods
Balinese believe that all gods are a continuation of the main deity, which is their source. Therefore, each of the believers can choose a personal god embodied in a material image. The names of the gods can be of Indian origin, for example, Ganesha, or local.
Hindus have the main trinity of gods:
- The creator is Brahma.
- The god of life is Vishnu.
- The destroyer is Shiva.
Together, they manage an ongoing global life cycle: creation - maintaining balance - destruction. The symbol of the cosmos and its movement is the swastika. Balinese people believe that a person is a microcosm of the world and experiences the same processes until he reaches enlightenment (moksha) and merges with God and the cosmos.
Bali rituals
According to the Balinese, efforts must be made to maintain harmony in life. In order to maintain a balance between demonic and divine forces, one must strictly follow certain rules of behavior. In many ways, the religion of Bali became known to the world precisely thanks to the wealth of rituals. It is believed that gods and demons surround a person everywhere, therefore ceremonies accompany him constantly.
As tools for maintaining life balance, ceremonies are used, for example, at birth, at marriage, for the consecration of various buildings, vehicles.
Daily sacrifices
Due to the incredible piety of the Balinese, they do not have a single day without them making sacrifices to the gods. These actions are called "Banten." Those who have visited Bali testify that sacrifices can be seen at every turn.
They are made from cigarettes, flowers, rice, cookies, money. But what is important is not the composition of the offering, but the process of making it. Offerings are made to good spirits, hoping that they will contribute to a prosperous life, and to demons to calm them down.
In the reviews, tourists indicate that the rituals of sacrifice are an integral part of the life of the islanders. Watching them is very interesting.
Calendar system
Balinese rituals are closely related to a complex system of calendars based on a combination of two of them - Saka and Wuku. In the first year, it was made dependent on the cycle of agricultural work. It is divided into lunar months.
To fit it to the solar calendar, an extra month is added to it every 30 months. The most important thing for rituals is the time of either the full or the new moon. According to the Saka calendar, the new year begins in late February and early March. This day is of great importance throughout the island of Bali.
In the Wuku calendar, the year consists of 210 days. It is divided into 30 weeks, each of them is devoted to a specific type of activity. For example, there is a week of animals and a week of weapons. Moreover, there are 10 “weeks” that last from 1 to 10 days and have their own serial numbers. The most important on this calendar are Galungan and Kuningan. It is believed that the ancestors descend to earth precisely on these two days.
Caste system
Its existence follows from the concept of karma and samsara. It is they who determine what status an individual acquires in his next birth. It is the result of behavior in past lives. Based on this, Hinduism on the island of Bali defines the following four castes:
- Brahmins dealing with the religious side of life and sacred texts.
- Satriy are rulers.
- Vesii - merchants and warriors.
- Sudras are the lowest class, consisting of ordinary people, who make up about 90% of the population.
To indicate caste, a certain title is added to the name of a person. Moreover, to appeal to the representative of each caste in the Balinese language has its own special dialect. If the caste is unknown, then there is a special dialect for this case.
Temples
The religion of the island of Bali has an inextricable connection with its temples. In addition to those located on the island, there are others - in those places where the Balinese moved to other places.
Temples are a space that is fenced on all sides by walls. It is divided into three zones, connected by a gate. Planning is carried out according to certain concepts of arrangement:
- External zone - connects the temple and the world. It has an entrance. This is usually an open space or garden. It can be used in preparation for ceremonies held during religious festivals.
- The middle zone is intended for believing temple visitors. Several pavilions are being built in it - for meetings, cooking, instrumental ensembles.
- The inner zone (sacred) is closed to visitors. It is located higher than the rest of the premises. Here is the throne in the form of a lotus (padmasana), intended for the highest god. And also a tower with several roofs resembling a Chinese pagoda. There may be other buildings, for example, a place of storage of relics, a pavilion for sacred chants.
Varieties of temples
Religion of Bali prescribes the existence of certain types of shrines that play various roles in ceremonies. These include temples:
- In the mountains. They are built either on top or on the side of a mountain or volcano. Here they worship good gods and ancestors, ask for their advice and goodwill through the priests.
- On the seashore, ocean. Serve for the veneration of sea deities and the conduct of cleansing ceremonies.
- In the city or in the village. They are the center of the religious life of the local population.
- Water. In addition to religious ceremonies, they serve as part of the irrigation system. In them, priests distribute the water supply to the rice terraces located in the villages surrounding the temple. Some of these structures are famous for their sacred water. There are pools in which rituals of purification take place. There are also water temples built on the shores of lakes.
In total, there are approximately 20 thousand temples in Bali.
Religion from the island of Haiti
It is she who is often proposed to be identified by the creators of scanwords, saying that this is a four-letter word. The answer is voodoo. To be precise, the picture regarding religion on this island is as follows:
- Catholics - 57%.
- Protestants - 30%.
- Adherents of local beliefs - 11%.
- Others - 3%.
In the history of Haiti, the predominant religion was Christianity and Catholicism. This is due to the wide influence of France on the lands it conquered.
As for voodoo (local beliefs brought in by slaves from Africa), they often mix in the minds of people with other religions and profess in parallel with them.
Among others (3%), Islam, Judaism and Baha'ism (unity of religions) predominate.
Religion in the Solomon Islands
Here the attitude of the population towards religion is as follows:
- Membership in the Anglican Church - 45%.
- To the Roman Catholic - 18%.
- By Presbyterian and Methodist - 12%.
- Baptists - 9%.
- Seventh-day Adventists - 7%.
- Other Protestants - 5%.
- Residents adhering to traditional local beliefs - 4%.
It should be noted that in the Solomon Islands, both in Bali and Haiti, regardless of the practice of a particular religion, many aspects of life are oriented to local traditions, rituals, beliefs and ideas about the world. So, many residents of Melanesia adhere to totemism, shamanism, the cult of leaders, ancestors, faith in magical powers.