Dewa Sraya Ceremony
The Dewa Sraya ceremony, a ritual purifying ceremony traditionally held once every five years at one of the oldest temples in Bali, the Pura Tuluk Biyu Kintamani temple is currently taking place in Kintamani until 11th October. The ceremony is meant to protect and bless Bali from disasters and destruction.
Ubud Festival
If you’ll be spending time in Ubud this month or next, be sure to catch the activities in the first ever Ubud Festival, organized by the Ubud Community Board.
According to Anak Agung Gede Ariawan, Director of Public Relations, the festival of events and activities is designed to lift the spirits of the people to motivate them, and revitalize the aspects of community which have suffered since the first Bali bombing. The month long festival, to be held from July 16th to August 17th will involve 13 banjars, and around 2,500 families. It will be unique as it is involving the community at large for the purpose of healing the community by cultural activity. (more…)
Balinese Cooking Class at Villa Semana
Guests can learn how to prepare spicy Balinese dishes at Villa Semana hotel. The cooking class is held in an informal setting by our poolside restaurant and conducted by our Chef and his assistants.
To find out more about cooking classes at Villa Semana, please email us for more information.
Bali Kite Festival
Bali International Kite Festival
Visiting Bali this August? This years International Kite Festival is being held in Bali at Tanah Lot.
The event will span 5 days from 12th - 16th August 2006 and will see participants from 10 different countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, USA, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
Massive kites of various shapes and a kaleidescope of colors will be graded in categories such as “One sky, one world”, “Flying for Peace” and Flying for Ajeg Bali”. A variety of other activities will be held to boost this international event. Activities proper will begin on the 13th and highlights include a kite demonstration by each country, as well as a traditional Balinese kite demonstration in the morning.
Look out for news on this event in local tourist magazines or ask at the Tourist Information Center when you are in Bali.
100 Years of Bali Fine Art
100 years of Bali fine art
Recently an exhibition opened in Jakarta showcasing 100 years of Bali fine art. The exhibition will move to Bali’s Arma Museum (Agung Rai Museum of Art) in Pengosekan Ubud and be on disply from July 14th - 23rd.
The exhibition features about 70 paintings from a century of Indonesia’s most rich and formative works of art and were selected by curator Agus Dermawan.
The paintings have been grouped into 11 categories according to time, place and style such as the Kamasan style, one of the earliest developed in Kamasan Village, KlungKlung, which are paintings done on nusa cloth depicting wayang stores in detailed and dramatic expression.
Other categories are Guru Waktu (paintings of foreigners living in Bali), Batuan style, a series of Ubud style’s from the Pita Maha period and others, Sanur style, Young Artists’ style, Pengosekan style, Keliki style and Kapal style.
The exhibition showcases the most important paintings by famous local painters such as Ni Made Suciarmi, Ida Bagus Made Togog, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad and I Nyoman Lesug, I Nyoman Meja, Ida Bagus Nyoman Rai, I Ketut Soki and I Dewa Putu Sena, I Wayan Surana, I Gusti Agung Wiranata and foreign artists like Arie Smit, Walter Spies, Miguel Covarrubias, Theo Meier, Rudolf Bonnet and Anotonia Blanco.
Many of the paintings belong to private collectors and are not for sale. However a few of them will be auctioned in Bali during the exhibition.
To commemorate the event, a full color 320 page book of stories and paintings titled Bali Bravo: Lexicon of 200 years of Balinese traditional painters will be launched next month in Bali.