Bali’s Galungan food

By: Mila Shwaiko

I was born on the day before Galungan, the most important religious festival in the Balinese calendar, which marks the ten-day period when deified ancestors descend to inhabit their former homes. I’ve always had a love for, and strong attachment, to food— especially Balinese food. This is something that everyone in the compound where I grew up knows and delights in teasing me about.

According to Gung Rai—a close neighbour who has known me since my birth and who has never treated me as anything but another of her own children—it’s pantas (only right) that I’m this way. “It’s fitting that a child whose oton [ceremony held 210 days after a child’s birth and marked every 210 days thereafter] is on Penampahan Galungan loves food so much, because it’s the day when it all gets prepared and cooked,” she says.

Frankly, I think my passion for Balinese food has little to do with the day of my birth and everything to do with Gung Rai’s cooking. I used to get up each day at about 6am and go straight to her kitchen. It was a dark, warm space, with bamboo and rattan workbenches, dominated by a large mud-brick fireplace. Every surface near the fire was covered in a fine layer of soot, even the masses of cobwebs high in the rafters. By this time of the day, she’d already have been to market and be half way though preparing the day’s meal. She would give me a plate of freshly steamed rice for breakfast as I sat and watched her at work.

The food would be cooked in big, soot-blackened pots, balanced on the top of the fireplace. I’d poke the embers and feed the new fire with coconut husks. I loved to make the flames flare up and the sparks jump; I probably made a complete nuisance out of myself, but she never minded or paid me any negative attention. In later years, the packed dirt floor was replaced with white shiny tiles; a fridge appeared and the wood fire was replaced by a gas stove. But the family made a unanimous decision that the food didn’t taste nearly as good as it had before, so a new fireplace was built in the empty space behind the old one. The shiny new kitchen seems to get used less each year.

Idul Fitri: Forgiving Family & Traffic Jams

By: Jack Lato & Emma Kwee

Idul Fitri is the most important day on the Islamic calendar. Cleansed and a few pounds lighter, millions of Indonesians return home (‘pulang kampung’ Obama would say). As lemmings squeezed in overflowing economy busses they are prepared to take the final hurdle, after conquering kilometers of queues to obtain the last overpriced tickets, facing kilometers of traffic jams crisscrossing the country.

What moves Indonesians during Idul Fitri is an irrepressible urge to meet their family, particularly the parents. Shaking hands, asking for forgiveness and the blessing of their parents could theoretically be done anytime. Mobile phones could also come in handy; speaking through the phone, or texting for forgiveness shuns the caller from being ashamed. Indonesia is utterly connected by high-tech devices. Yet, during Idul Fitri the sense of love drives people to return home and physically connect with their family.

“What will you do during Lebaran?”

By: Rani Yunus

Ramadhan ends tomorrow and the upcoming Idul Fitri end-of-fasting month  — in Indonesia known as Lebaran, will last two days. The whole nation begins to prepare for this day. Baking cookies, special dishes like Ketupat, Rendang or Opor Ayam at home, or packing up bags to leave their urban homes to travel across the nation to their hometowns to celebrate with their family. Let’s see what some fellow Indonesians plan on doing during Lebaran.

Ramadan

Ramadan has been underway since July the 20th and will end on August  18 2012. Idul Fitri will take place on August 19. Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic calendar. It is a belief that in the month of Ramadan the Holy book of Muslims, Quran was sent down from heaven as guidance for men and also as a direction and a means to Salvation.

Ramadan is the month of fasting. The entire month Muslims fast and have no water and food during the daytime. Muslims have food only before the sunrises and after the sunsets. The day starts with eating the suhoor. Suhoor is the meal eaten by the Muslims before the sun rises. Once suhoor is done Muslims cannot eat or drink the whole day. In the evening when the sun sets then they have another meal called If tar. To open the fasting they pray and eat. Once Iftar is over Muslims visit their relative’s house and early in the morning sets back to the fast.

The Green Hajj

By: Kafil Yamin

300.000 Indonesian Muslims, along with around 3 million pilgrims, return from Mecca annually and leave behind 100 million plastic bottles. Unless immediate measures are taken, the holy land will soon transform into a waste land. The figure, published by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation [ARC], does not include mounting waste from takeout foods and other goods during the 30-day hajj season. This daunting situation has caused a major headache among Muslim academics for the prospects of the holy land. “Islam venerates cleanliness in all aspects of life. This situation in Mecca is a great cause for our concern,” said Dr. K.H. Ma’ruf Amin , chairman of the Indonesia Ulema Council [MUI]. Muslims leaders and academics then put forward the so-called green hajj scheme.

The Unsettling Proximity of Death on Bali: Fierce Fire and Cool Bones

By: Sita van Bemmelen

The first time I witnessed a ritual washing of the corpse, it was a rather confrontational experience. However, that was not the only time, I felt uneasy. But before I come to that, let us first have a look at what happens after the ritual washing: the sequence of a cremation.

On the day of the cremation, the chest with the remains of the deceased will be brought out of the family courtyard and put in a container (wadah) placed on the side of the road. That container can be an elaborately decorated and multistoried tower, for which Balinese cremations of royal families are so famous. But often it is a much simpler affair. The wadah will be hoisted on a rack made of bamboo and carried to the cremation field called setra by as many men as needed, depending on the weight of the tower. They can number up to a hundred men. Usually the wadah is brought to the setra around mid-midday, so one can imagine how heavy the task of the bearers is.

Vesak/Waisak: Contemplation & Self-Reflection on ‘Buddha’s Birthday’

By: Putri Fitria

Vesak, or Waisak is a big day in Buddhism. At the Borobudur Temple, in central Java the Vesak celebrations attract thousands of visitors, most but not all of them Buddhist monks. Often called 'Buddha’s birthday,' Vesak actually celebrates the birth, enlightenment Nirvana, and passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha. At Waisak night thousands of Buddhists from all over Indonesia gather at the temple's yard to hold the ceremony of Vesak Day 2556. Aside from the Buddhists, representatives from other religious beliefs also attend this festivel occasion.

Waisak: Contemplation & Self-Reflection

Last year the Vesak ceremony was led by Thai monk Bante Wongsin Labhiko Mahatera. The Buddhists meditated for 10 minutes in anjali position, which is sitting cross-legged with folded arms before the chest. Solemnly, they reflect on the journey of Siddharta Gautama, their guru and model in life. The monks come from Indonesia, Thailand, as well as other countries such as Tibet, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, and Cambodia.

Toward Indonesian Children’s Awareness for Diversity

By: Labodalih Sembiring

Indonesian children today face a greater challenge than ever. We do still have street children, children who cannot continue their education, and child labor. Lately, however, children are faced with another serious problem at their schools, namely the narrowing of spaces where children can develop their awareness for the diversity that makes up this nation.

The above statement was made by Nia Sjarifudin, the Secretary-General of Aliansi Nasional Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (ANBTI), or the National Alliance of Unity in Diversity, at a capacity building training for caretakers of 60 children’s communities all around Yogyakarta and Central Java on February 18-19, 2012. The event was held by SOS Children’s Villages Yogyakarta in Kaliurang, Yogyakarta, and its theme was “Toward the Self-Sufficiency of [Children’s] Communities.”

Highlights of Thailand

By: Isaac Olson

Thailand has been a tourist's dream for decades. It's difficult to narrow down the best things about Thailand. Nevertheless, below are five highlights.

People and Culture

Thais are known for freely flashing their smiles making visitors feel welcome. Not only is the smile a common expression, but Thais have a non-confrontational ethos and suppress anger. They also try to be helpful and usually display a mellow demeanor.

Much of the Thai attitude comes from Buddhism. This religion has shaped so much of Thailand's culture from architecture to holidays. There is something distinctive about Buddhism in Thailand though. Traditionally, the country was heavily influenced by the culture and religions coming out of India. What we now call Hindu gods can be spotted in Buddhist temples and in spirit houses throughout Thailand.

Travel to the Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s Ancient Temples

By: Vijay Khurana

Short of a time machine, you couldn’t find a better way to lose yourself in the past than by visiting Cambodia’s Angkor temples. You’ll see immaculately preserved carvings made a thousand years ago to honor gods and kings. You’ll see nature and man fighting their eternal battle as jungle slowly overruns haunting stone ruins. Most importantly, you’ll see Cambodia as it once was.

The temples are commonly referred to as Angkor Wat. In fact, they’re a sprawling collection of over a dozen temple complexes, built by different kings in different time periods. Angkor Wat itself serves as the stunning centerpiece. This enormous city-like temple with its pools, walkways and bas-relief carvings is ingrained in the national identity. Its iconic towers feature on many a picture postcard in the country, as well as adorning the Cambodian flag.