Bali Car Rental & Transport

Over a thousand years ago Chinese and Indian pilgrims to Bali were struck by the ritual and frenzy of the island’s dances and celebrations. They named the island Wall, a Sanskrit word meaning “religious festival.”

Because all Balinese dances were originally religious in nature, a gift for the visiting gods, the Balinese have always attached great importance to their dances. To this day no large cremation, temple ceremony, wedding, or important social rite is complete without a dance drama or Wayang kulit performance. Certain dances are even prohibited from being staged in public.

A fuzzy boundary is maintained between what the Balinese do for themselves and what they do for visitors. In 1992, Governor Ida Bagus Oka decreed that 11 sacred or wall dances may no longer be performed in hotels or at the usual commercial dance venues.

This policy was a long time in coming: during President Reagan’s 1986 visit, the holy pendet welcoming dance was cut from a 10 minutes to a pathetic two minutes at the request of the White House.

Dance and drama also serve as important mediums through which centuries-old culture, history, values, notions of religious piety, and even political philosophies flow to contemporary and future generations. Before the opening of native Malay schools in the 1 920s, theater was the only way to transmit traditional values and knowledge, such as the purpose of a village’s three temples, the importance of carrying out your parent’s cremation, what happens if you don’t meet your banjar obligations.