You Can See BALI in LOMBOK :)

Hi all.. We meet again in this cute blog :D *hahaha*
ssstttttt....!!!
Now we're going to discuss about Lombok.. You know Lombok? If you don't know Lombok, you must look for it in internet, maybe in Google, etc... (cuz I'm lazy to explain it).. sorry all :p
Okay, Here in Lombok, the local people have a saying: "You can see Bali in Lombok, but you can't see Lombok in Bali !" :D
This's especially true around the time of Nyepi - the Balinese Hindu day of silence. You really can see Bali in Lombok ^^
Many people assume that Balinese Hindus only live in Bali, but with the two islands being so close together, Balinese settlement in Lombok dates back for centuries and Balinese communities and temples are found all around the west coast and in the cities...
So, it’s not unusual to see colourful Hindu ceremonies taking place around the streets of Lombok, just as in Bali... bla.. bla.. bla.. etc.. etc.. etc :D
yoshh minna-san, let's check it out together ;)

Do you know, guys? Nyepi is one of the important days in the Balinese Hindu calendar and the start of the Hindu New Year. This year Hari Raya Nyepi falls on Tuesday, 12 March 2013.
Nyepi in Bali is observed by a "day of silence" based on four guiding principle set down for celebrating the Bali-Hindu New year, called Catur Berata Penyepian. These four principles specify:

1. Amati Geni: Prohibiting the lighting of fires, the use of lighting of the satisfaction of pleasurable human appetites.
2. Amati Karya: Prohibiting all of physical work other than those dedicated to spiritual cleansing and renewal.
3. Amati Lelungan: Prohibiting movement or travel; requiring people to stay within their residences.
4. Amati Lelangunan: Prohibiting all pf forms of entertainment, recreations or general merrymaking.

In keeping with the strict traditions of the holy day, Bali grinds to a halt for 24 hours, from 6.00am on 12 March until 6.00am on 13 Maarch 2013, and includes the following:

• Visitors to Bali are required to stay within the grounds of their hotels for 24-hour period and not leave the premises, except in cases of medical emergency.
• Hotel are asked to limit outside lighting out of respect to the surrounding Balinese communities.
• Employees of hotels and emergency service must stay confined to their place of employment for the entire 24-hour period
• All street are empty and closed. All businesses are closed. Only emergency vehicles are permitted on the roads.
• All seaport are closed during the 24-hour period.
• Bali's airport is closd during the 24-hour period. So, if you are planning to come to Lombok, make sure you leave Bali by 11 March. No passengers are allowed to land or take off from the airport. Technical stops are allowed but no passenger may disembark or embark on a flight during this period.
• Television and radio stations are closed and cable broadcast companies are asked to suspend their signals to Bali during the proscribed period.

Lombok society is made up of a mixture of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other religions, so these requirement are not enforced at Nyepi and this quiet time of noise, lights, travel or work only takes place in the Hindu communities.

Most visitors to Lombok would be unaware of these Nyepi preparations, as shops, restaurants and businesses are open and everything on the island operates as on any normal day.
However, there is one event that is most visible to outsiders and draws the attention of both Lombok's residents and visitors; this is when Lombok's Hindu communities participate in Ngerupuk or the "Ogoh-ogoh parade".

The parade takes place on 11 March, the day before Nyepi, and is a fascinating and noisy procession of fantastic monsters that dance and twist their way along the main streets of Lombok's capital city, Mataram.
Ogoh-ogoh is the name given to the giant monsters representing Hindu creatures of the underworld, known in Balinese as buta kala.
Ogoh-ogoh are usually based on evil characters or spirits taken from traditional myths and legends, although more modern monsters include effigies of political characters, or symbolic representations in the modern world.

About one month before Nyepi, the Hindu community start to plan their ogoh-ogoh creations. if you drive around the back streets of Mataram and Cakra at the moment, you will see these huge constructions taking shape by the side of roads.

Each Balinese village, even those in Lombok, is run by a Banjar, a community council that supports and maintains the temples and village environment; as well as mediating problems in the village, etc.
In preparation for Nyepi, the Banjar collects money, often with smaller community joining with a bigger one, to create ogoh-ogoh together.
Sometimes, these are the creations of artisans brought in from Bali, gifted in monster making and hired to produce amazing monsters.

The people of each Banjar work together to create the monsters, using bamboo and wire frames, papier-mache, polystyrene, and other materials. They're often works of art that have taken many hours to create. A simple ogoh-ogoh may costs as little as Rp 250.000,- to make, but more elaborate figures can cost up to Rp 12 million.

The young people of the villages take great delight in competing with other villages to create the most gruesome, terrifying or eye-catching Ogoh-ogih.
The parade of the Ogoh-ogoh, although a fun and popular for spectators, is in fact an important ceremony in preparation for Nyepi; representing a type of mass exorcism of evil in order to start the new Year spiritually fresh and clean.
Before the parade, a pemangku (temple priest) holds a ceremony to imbue the buta kala  with spirit and power. Some say the monster gets heavier after this ceremony ! :O

The Ogoh-ogoh is then placed on a bamboo frame, so that many people can help to carry it, making wild movements and dancing to bring the monster to life. Groups of people in traditional dress join the parade, taking turns to carry the heavy figures and dancing alongside their Ogoh-ogoh.

Musical groups, gamelan players and dancers in costume often accompany their monster, creating a spectacle of sound and drama.

As evil spirits are believed to inhabit crossroads, particular attention is paid to each intersection, with ogoh-ogoh lurching and dancing wildly in the middle of the road to scare off any other evil spirits lurking there.

The parade travels along Jl Pejanggik, the main street in Mataram, and can involve a hundred or more ogoh-ogoh. last year's parade had around 120 registered participants and attracted thousands of spectators.
After the parade, the Tawur Kesana ceremony is held to neutralism the negative power of buta kala and to create a harmonic relationship between human beings God, human and human, and human and their environments - ensuring a peaceful atart to the Hindu New Year.
The monsters are then paraded home to their respective Banjar, where they will often be burned in a ritual symbolising the destruction of evil (although these days some of the more elaborate creations are no longer being destroyed).

Most impotantly, the ogoh-ogoh parade has become a multi-cultural event in Lombok, with the whole community joining in the excitement. It's not unusual to see Muslim groups and Gendang Beleq troupes playing the big drums of Lombok - and event Chinese Lion Dancers - marching and laughing alongside the Hindu groups with their monsters..

If you would like to see the parade, join in the crowds in the afternoon on 11 March at around 2pm along the main street of Mataram (near the Mataram Mall). As if monsoon season, it often rain rains during the parade, so an umbrella is a good idea :D
The ogoh-ogoh parade is a fascinating event, full of music, dance, fun, and excitement. Spectators are always welcome... be sure to take your camera :D

You Can See BALI in LOMBOK :) - End

~~~Thank You~~~