Omed-omedan photo by fphoto-dailyphoto.blogspot.com

A day after Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu hold a kissing ceremony called Omed-omedan. The tradition held by the people of Banjar Kaja, in Denpasar. Participants for this unique tourism attraction are men and girls who have certain condition.

Omed-omedan is firstly intended as a media for the villagers to know and meet each other. In this tradition no one should have hate, they should respect and caring for others. The word Omed-omedan means to pull in bared hand. The traditional leader explained whether this ceremony is purely a cultural heritage so that people outside Bali shouldn’t create bad interpretation on this.

This tradition that is interesting attraction for tourism in Bali may only be followed by teruna and teruni (man and girl) which is still single and about 15 years old.

People in Banjar Kaja is not dare to stop the tradition. They afraid of the bad luck that will come to the villagers. It was once stopped, but then there are two pigs fight in the omed-omedan area. After checked, there were not villagers’ pigs bleeding or wounded. The other incident happened, there was a man possessed (trance) and he warned the people not to stop the ceremony. For them, that two events are the ‘sign’.

The Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism as the official tourist information center has launched Immigration on Board (IoB) in Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali. IoB is a service to arrange tourists’ document or Visa on Arrival on the plane. As an initial service, this program is only for certain destination.

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As the information for tourist, the Immigration on Board be effective since February 1st, 2010, for Garuda Indonesia flight from Narita, Japan. Visitors from Japan is 14 percents of the entire visitors to Bali after Australia which is 20 percents in 2009.

This program is hopefully will ease tourist so that they shouldn’t queue at the immigration counter. As further information, for the next step, the service is prepared for destinations from China, Australia, and Korea.
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Bali will host the Asian Belly Dance Festival 2010. The festival will be held on February 25 to 28, 2010. Ayodya Resort at Nusa Dua is chosen as the venue for the event. Asian belly dancers will gather to conduct workshop, dance attraction, dance competition, talk show, and bazaar.

The world’s belly dance maestro fro the United States, Jiliana, is invited to give a workshop and to be the jury for the dance competition. She will perform colossal theatrical belly dance which the first time shown in Indonesia. Her presence will make this international event more important to join.
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Participants from 15 countries are confirmed to attend this festival. The countries are Singapore, Philippine, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Africa, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Thailand, China, and South Korea.

Bali chief Inspector General of Police, Sutisna, stated that tourists who visited Bali to always use the hotel services that have been security standardization certified .

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Mr. Sutisna delivered it after receiving a visit from representatives of the Consulate General (Consul General) of Japan who came to give an appreciation for the performance of Polda Bali who successfully catch the killer of tourists from Japan, Rika Sano (33). “We asked to all the tourists who will visit the island resort to always use the hotel services that have been certified by the standardization of security and safety,” he said.

In addition, Sutisna also reminded the hotel to confirm if there are people who want to meet one of the guests who were at the hotel. “So there must be confirmation from the relevant guests first, before anyone is allowed into the hotel,” he said. “Thus, something like that happened to a tourists from Japan, Rika Sano, who was staying at the Hotel Prani Kuta on 25 September 2009 does not happen again,” he said.

The existence of cases that happen to foreigners is possible to create negative impact on the economy in Bali, especially those in the world of tourism. For that, he expects to tourists who will visit Bali to always use the authorized “travel agent”, and if you can, stay at certified hotel.

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Bali-India Foundation pioneered the development of “Markandeya Yoga City”, the largest yoga center in Asia at a remote village Sukasada District, Buleleng, north Bali. “This center of yoga activities will be the largest in Asia,” said Chairman of Bali-India Foundation, Dr. Somvir in Denpasar.

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The facilities on an area of 1.5 hectares will be built starting on March 3, 2010 together with the opening of “Bali-India International Yoga Festival. “Markandeya Yoga City will manage the levels of education starting from Primary School (SD), High School (SMP) and Senior High School (SMU) with the nuances of yoga,” said Dr. Simvir.

Educational institutions is also emphasized on the traditional medicine or “Ayurveda” and alignment with the permanent treatment by utilizing various types of plants that grow in the surrounding environment. Yoga Markandeya City Development will be done in stages, including the expansion of land by embracing self-help and participation of local communities.

“Yoga city will be full of social activities devoted for human beings,” said Dr. Somvir. Initiate these activities has now been planted about 50 species of plants which have medicinal function to cure many kinds of diseases that are especially imported from India. Various types of medicinal plants were developed in the Banjar Gunung Sari, Desa Tegal Linggah, Sukasada District, Buleleng Regency, 80 km from Denpasar City.

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In the Balinese Hindu, there is a ceremony for the ancestors after Ngaben that is called Mamukur or Memukur. Mamukur is the highest stage after Ngaben (incineration or burning of the dead bodies). Since the rite costs a lot of money, the people of Bali rarely held this ceremony only for a dead person but for a group of their ancestors or mass Mamukur. The cost for the ceremony can be more expensive then Ngaben.

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The word Mamukur comes from Balinese language bhu (natural) and ur (above). It is a sacred ceremony that becoming Balinese Hindus obligations. In this religion, every person has a debt to Sang Hyang Widi Wasa (God), Guru (Teachers), and Ancestors. This understanding gave a sacred duty called Pitra Yadnya. When a parent dies, the children should hold Ngaben and then mamukur – both are series of purification ceremony for the atma (spirit).

In the Balinese Hindu belief, atma is the spark of the Creator in the human body that will never die. When human life, atma attached to the rough body (badan wadag). However, when a man dies, his atma still attached to the invisible soft body (suksma sarira). Atma and suksma sarira still has the characters of human desire. Mamukur is a purification ceremony for atma to be apart from suksma sarira, and to be the holy spirit (Dewa pitara) which merged with Sang Hyang Widi Wasa.

“After Ngaben, suksma sarira can go out of the temple and even his old house. After mamukur, because it was pure and free from subtle body, the God of Pitara can incarnate in the body of the grandchildren or great-grandson who will born.

In other words, Ngaben ceremony is to release the spirit from the rough body, while mamukur to release the spirit from the soft body becomes the holy spirit – the peak of perfection in human life cycle.

In the peak of mamukur, after some preliminary ceremony that are very meticulous, the 36 symbols of spirit moved arround a white bull or a round payadnyan Stana, a symbol of home for the spirit. This symbolizes the spirit riding the Nandini.

Ngaben ceremony photo by dicomini

After all the symbols are placed in Stana, in the middle of the night is the ceremony of burning the symbols. The next day, the ashes taken to sea to be floated. So, the sacred ceremony of Mamukur has been finished.

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