2 Festivals You Shouldn’t Miss In Bali

Bali is one of the greatest locations spots in the world. Beautiful sceneries, clear oceans, wonderful weather, and great facilities combine to make this Southeast Asian island the vacation destination to go to. Some of the world class facilities you should expect are the rental villas in Seminyak, the spectacular resorts, and world-class hotels. When in Bali, there are two annual festivals you simply must attend and witness the cultural heritage of the Indonesian people.

The Annual Bali Spirit Festival

This is a five day bonanza celebrating yoga, dance, and music that unites the people of Bali. It is usually held in Ubud in late march each year. The festivities are in honor of the wisdom of the different peoples from the island who share the vision of uniting the world. It is also a celebration to unite souls to the universe, God, and nature.

Spirits

In Hinduism, the connections of souls to the earth, nature, and God is known as Tri Hita Karana and this formed the theme for the 2013 festival. This year’s festival was help in two magnificent places in the Ubud area. These are the Punai Center for the Arts where the daytime activities took place and the Agung Rai Museum of Art where the night time performances were held.

Music

The selection of world class performers was astounding. Groups such as Rupa and the April Fishes, Nakho and Medicine for the people, Dustin Thomas, Noam Bloat, and Sacred earth kept the crowds entertained throughout the gala.

Yoga

Yoga forms a key element of the festival. In attendance at this year’s festival were world famous yogis such as Danny Paradise, Anastasis, John Oglivie, Simon Low, and Judy Krupp. The leaders of the personality Leading Meditation included VinnMarti, Satyadharma Saraswati, John Wong, Indra Widjanarko, and Yogacharya Ananda. Noko presented an enthralling illustration of Brazilian Martial Arts of Capoeira.

Art

Some fantastic art illustrations were featured in the event at both venues. The world famous artist, Made Muliana Banyak of Bali presented the Art illustration.

The Seasonal Bali Kite Festival

Another major festival you dare not miss is the annual international Bali kite festival. it is held every July in the Padang Galak area of Ubud at Sanur Beach. The festival features teams of adults flying giant kites measuring approximately 10m by 4m. It is a festival to honor the Hindu Gods for successful harvests and abundant crops. Each of the kite-flying teams consists of between 70 and 80 adults and each of the teams have their own flyers (about ten per team), flag bearers, and Gamelon bands.

The types of kites featured include Janggan (the bird-shaped kite), Peculan (the leaf-shaped), Bebean (the fish-shaped kite). All the kites are made out of bamboo stems and colorful cotton clothes. Each of the three traditional types of kites has their own competitions and the finales are preceded by 10 heats. The winners are the teams that display the perfect launch and the longest high flight pattern. Apart from these 3 types of traditional kites, there is a competition for “new creations” and these represent Hindu Gods though some are sponsorship kites. Music is provided throughout the festival by a gamelan orchestra.

Apart from the usual tourism attractions, Bali offers a selection of some of the most exciting and culturally rich festivals. The most important of these festivities are the spirit festival and the kite festival both of which attract many international tourists and locals.