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11. Living in Bali

Bali at a Glance

Living in Bali

Balinese-Hinduism, Bali's main religion, is celebrated with many colorful festivals.

Bali is famous for its beaches and vacation appeal. In fact, most people only envision living in Bali when Indonesia comes to mind. Those living in Bali have a fascinating culture and beautiful scenery on their doorstep. Rice paddies cascading down rolling hills, crystal clear water licking at white sands, an array of exotic fish, volcanoes piercing the clouds, and landscapes dotted with temple ruins, are all things you will get to experience while living in Bali.

Each year at least 4 million tourists visit Bali. With 3.9 million people living in Bali, it is not only one of the largest islands in the Indonesian archipelago, but also the one which sees the most visitors – almost as many as actual inhabitants. The locals living in Bali are often considered to be some of the friendliest hosts in the world. Welcoming you with open arms, most Balinese want you to feel as comfortable in their culture as they are. Therefore, expats living in Bali can quickly adapt to their new lifestyle – after all, who wouldn’t want to call this beautiful island home?

Living in Bali: Culture and Art

When Bali became Indonesia’s tourist hotspot in the 1970s, the Balinese were afraid that the large amounts of travelers arriving daily on its shores would spoil the island’s traditional culture. The Balinese government took preventative measures to avoid this – simply by making Balinese culture the main point of attraction for foreigners living in Bali.

Balinese culture is largely influenced by its religious background, namely Balinese-Hinduism. Contrary to the rest of Indonesia, where most citizens are Muslim, most people living in Bali – roughly 93% – practice a form of Hinduism.

Expats living in Bali will notice that it is a very community-oriented society. Contrary to Western culture, young married couples living in Bali continue to live at home, often creating vast extended families.

Art is also a large part of life in Bali. Those living in Bali are familiar with its cultural heritage rich in the art of song and dance, drama and sculpture. The Balinese language does not recognize the word “artist” because being artistic is a form of everyday life. Most people living in Bali are able to create some form of “art”. Most of these objects are a type of religious offering and can be seen throughout Balinese cities, temples, homes and work places.

Life in Bali: Festivals

Due to the mix of Bali’s different cultural traditions, expats living in Bali will experience colorful, vibrant and very lively street festivals. Although life in Bali has not been able to resist Western influence, the Balinese are still an extremely close-knit society and highly value their culture, of which festivals are one of the main ingredients.

Listing all festivals that take place regularly as part of living in Bali would require more space than this article allows for. Mainly, when living in Bali, it is important to know that there are three types of calendars used in Bali. The saka calendar is a Hindu calendar that follows the cycles of the moon, and the wuku calendar is the Balinese festival calendar. Additionally there is also the Western calendar to schedule daily life in Bali.

The Galungan Ceremony, Bali’s most important festival, is celebrated every 210 days and lasts a total of 10 days. The festival celebrates the victory of virtue (dharma) over evil (adharma). The highlight of this ceremony is the famous Barong dance, in which dancers move from one temple to the next supplying offerings to the gods.

Once you are living in Bali, you will see that great importance is also attached to other festivities including, but not limited to, wedding, birth and burial ceremonies.