Things are winding up on the mountain,getting ready for the first retreat. The Joglo is finished, the rain has been a challenge in this dry season. Jay is ready to launch the November Retreat with a music focus, it will be amazing. Richard has found a new guide for the mountain trek.
BALI ARTS FESTIVAL:
Richard has been checking out the Bali Arts Festival at the Art Centre, Denpasar. 'The quality of the acts and gamelans at this festival is outstanding, I hope in the future we can include a visit to this festival in our retreats'.
Batukaru Mountain Retreat is organising a special invitation to those people who would like to experience Nyepi (the balinese new year), in the heart of traditional Bali 2009( at the new moon). Nyepi is unique to Bali and the ceremonies begin three days before.
The first day:
Melasti or Mekiyis or Melis . The ceremony is aimed to clean all nature and its content, and also to take the Amerta (the source for eternal life) from the ocean or other water resources (ie lake, river, etc). Three days before Nyepi, all the effigies of the Gods from all the village temples are taken to the river in long and colourful ceremonies. There, they have are bathed by the Neptune of the Balinese Lord, the God Baruna, before being taken back home to their shrines. We will join the people in this village on their trip to the river on the mountain.
The second day:
Tawur Kesanga (the day before Nyepi). all villages in Bali hold a large exorcism ceremony at the main village cross road, the meeting place of demons. They usually make Ogoh-ogoh (the fantastic monsters or evil spirits or the Butha Kala made of bamboo) for carnival purposes. The Ogoh-ogoh monsters symbolize the evil spirits surrounding our environment which have to be got rid of from our lives . The carnivals themselves are held all over Bali following sunset. Bleganjur, a Balinese gamelan music accompanies the procession. Some are giants taken from classical Balinese lore. All have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair and are illuminated by torches.The procession is usually organised by the Seka Teruna, the youth organisation of Banjar. When Ogoh-ogoh is being played by the Seka Teruna, everyone enjoys the carnival. In order to make a harmonic relation between human being and God, human and human, and human and their environments, Tawur Kesanga is performed in every level of society, from the people's house. In the evening, the Hindus celebrating Ngerupuk, start making noises and light burning torches and set fire to the Ogoh-ogoh in order to get the Bhuta Kala, evil spirits, out of our lives. We will go to Tabanan or Bantas to join the procession of Ogoh-ogoh.
The third day:
Nyepi itself. every street is quiet - there are nobody doing their normal daily activities. There is usually Pecalangs (traditional Balinese security man) who controls and checks for street security. No traffic on the roads, on the mountain people are allowed to move around the streets, not so in town where they must remain inside, no fires, no entertainment, (TVs are allowed quietly with the blinds drawn in tourist areas.), no noise is allowed. Even the airport is closed, the only airport in the world which closes once a year.
On Nyepi the world expected to be clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the "force" of the World.
Nyepi is meant to be a day of self introspection to decide on values, eg humanity, love, patience, kindness, etc., that should kept forever. Balinese Hindus have many kind of celebrations (some sacred days) but Nyepi is, perhaps the most important of the island's religious days and the prohibitions are taken seriously, particularly in villages outside of Bali's southern tourist belt.
We will adhere to this day and recommend a day of reflection and meditation.
The day after Nyepi:
Ngembak Geni. Hindu societies usually visit to forgive each other and doing the Dharma Canthi. Dharma Canthi are activities of reading Sloka, Kekidung, Kekawin, etc.(ancient scripts containing songs and lyrics). On the mountain the villagers all walk around visiting one another,many will drop in to see us. We will go to the village and visit some of the families.
PLEASE CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION.
