This year, the most thrilling annual traditional war game will yet again highlight Sumba Island, East Nusatenggara, where the breath-taking Pasola Jousting Festival gets underway from 5th to 8th February 2013 and on 7th March 2013.
After a meeting of Rato Pasola or tribe
elders and government officials, the dates and the locations of this
year’s Pasola festival were designated as follows:
Pasola Homba Kalayo in the village of
Kodi Bangedo will be held on 5th February, the Pasola Bondo Kawango in
Kodi to be held on 7th February, Pasola Rara Winyo in Kodi on 8th
February, and Pasola Wainyapu in Kodi Balaghar on 7th March.
With the announcement of the Pasola 2013
schedule, visitors can arrange their trip to Sumba Island, so that they
can take part in this rare and special mock battle festival. There will
also be a cultural festival in several villages held in conjunction
with the Pasola festival.
This is a most exciting Jousting
Festival where opposing teams run into each other on horseback,
saddle-less, throwing blunt spears - called hola - to each other to
unseat or hurt their opponents or horses. Fallen men or horses may not
be attacked, but any blood flowing is believed to fertilize the soil and
benefit the next harvest.
The tournament forms part of the
traditional Marapu belief on Sumba, where the Pasola forms an
inseparable part of the annual ritual, held in conjunction with the Bau Nyale ritual or the arrival of seaworms on the shores of Sumba and Lombok, which normally occurs in February and March.
Once better known as the Sandalwood Island, Sumba in the province of East Nusatenggara, - adjoining the islands of Komodo and Flores,
- breeds some of Indonesia’s best horses. The Sumba horses are a cross
between Arabian and local horses, and are therefore larger than the
neighbouring Sumbawa horses.
There are daily flights from Bali to Waingapu in East Sumba and Tambolaka in West Sumba on alternate days. The island can also be reached from Maumere on Flores, on similarly alternating days between the two towns. More information at: www.komodo-tours.travel , www.floresexotictours.com
The Official Tourism Website of East Nusatenggara Province: www.goseentt.com
From 20th to 24th March 2013, the tranquil town of Ubud in the cultural heart of Bali will once again be filled with worldwide spirituality as the Bali Spirit Festival 2013 gets underway. As the event celebrates its sixth year of existence, news of its magic has reached around the world. Not only does the Festival bring together celebrated musicians, yogis and dancers from every continent, but it has also become a magnet for fans, students and followers of every calling.
Set in the spectacular grounds of the Purnati Center for the Arts in Batuan, just 10 minutes south of Ubud, the daytime workshops and Dharma Fair will enjoy a venue unmatched for its tropical beauty and gentle energy. The global music concerts will take place in Ubud, at the Agung Rai Museum of Art's (ARMA) outdoor stage, to allow easy access for visitors and locals.
Featuring top international yoga and dance instructors by day and exciting world musicians after dark, the Bali Spirit Festival is a spiritually charged event that celebrates yoga, dance and music and the merging of East with Western cultures through the arts.
This year’s music and Bhakti music lineup includes: Nahko&Medicine for the People, Rupa&the April Fishes, Noam Blat, Igor Olivier Ezendam, Dustin Thomas, Filastine, Susu Ibu, Kryasta Guna Gamelan, Dave Stringer, Punnu Wasu, Sacred Earth, and Daphne Tse. For the yoga sessions, the festival will feature some of the world’s prominent names such as Simon Low, Danny Paradise, Les Leventhal, Judy Krupp, John Oglivie, Nadine McNeil, Justin Caruso, Simon Park, Lynn Yeo, Louisa Sear, Prem Carlisi, Michiko Minegishi, Anastasis, Denise Payne, and many others.
Personalities leading meditation, conscious movement, and health &healing are: Yogacharya Ananda, Indra Widjanarko, Satyadharma Saraswati, Vinn Marti, Sarina Jain, Shamir Chadha, Awahoshi Kavan, Ellen Watson, Satya Burger, Hillary Hitt, Daniel Aaron, John Wong, and Jamie Catto. The festival will also feature the Brazilian martial arts of Capoeira by Graduado Nako and Art installations by Indonesia’s own Made Muliana Bayak.
Adhering to the spirit of ancient Balinese wisdom of Tri Hita Karana, meaning harmony with God above, harmony with the community, and harmony with nature, the Bali Spirit Festival awakens and nourishes each individual’s potential for positive change within, leading to positive change in homes, in communities, and ultimately in global societies around the world.
The Bali Spirit Festival is indeed a celebration of the richness of culture, the sanctity of the environment and harmony between peoples of all nations. Be there! Take part in this special celebration and in doing so make the world a better place.
More Information at: http://www.balispiritfestival.com/
Every culture and religion in the world has its own way to define and celebrate the coming of the new year. While the Chinese have the Imlek celebration, the Muslims celebrate the first of Muharram, and the world in general celebrates the first of January, the Hindus of Bali welcome the New Year based on the traditional Saka Calendar with the ritual of Nyepi. This year, Nyepi , the day of complete silence and meditation , takes place on 12th March 2013.
Travellers to Bali around this date please note
: On this day, the entire island of Bali will come to a complete
standstill. To allow all to follow the prescribed ritual, all traffic
all over Bali will be stopped. No planes will land or take off for 24
hours. All shops are closed. No one is allowed on the beach or on the
streets. There will be local watchmen known as pecalang to
ascertain that this rule is obeyed. At night, all lights will have to be
turned off. Hotels will close all curtains that no ray of light shines
to the outside. All sound and music indoors should be held to its lowest
volume.
The sudden silence comes after the eve of noisy festivities on the beaches of Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua,
Seminyak and others with parades of giant puppets called “ogoh-ogoh”
accompanied by clanging gongs and other percussion instruments. At the
end of the festival the ogoh-ogoh are lit and are totally engulfed in
flames.
For non-Balinese who happen to be in
Bali for the first time on Nyepi day , it is an extraordinary experience
indeed to find a whole island completely silent as if deserted ,
enveloped in an atmosphere of complete tranquility and peace.
For, contrary to other cultures that
celebrate New Year with vivacious festivities, the pinnacle of Balinese
New Year is a day of complete Silence. Hence the name Nyepi,
meaning “to keep silent” in the local language, which falls on the day
following the dark moon of the spring equinox. Nyepi is a day fully
dedicated to connect oneself more closely with God (Hyang Widi Wasa)
through prayers and at the same time as a day of self introspection to
decide on values, such as humanity, love, patience, kindness, and
others, that should be kept forever.
As a day reserved for self-reflection
anything that might interfere with that purpose is strictly prohibited.
Nyepi mandates a day of absolute quiet, based on the four precepts of Catur Brata:
• Amati Geni: Prohibiting the lighting of fires, the use of lighting or satisfying pleasurable human appetites.
• Amati Karya: Prohibiting all forms of physical work other than those dedicated to spiritual cleansing and renewal.
• Amati Lelungan: Prohibiting movement or travel; requiring people to stay within their homes.
• Amati Lelangunan: Prohibiting all forms of entertainment, recreations or general merrymaking.
Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu
holiday, non-Hindu residents of Bali observe the day of silence as well,
out of respect for their fellow citizens. Even tourists are not exempt;
although free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed on the beaches or streets, and the airport remains closed for the entire day.
The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles carrying those
with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth.
For more information, please click : Nyepi: Bali’s New Year's Day of Cemplete Silence
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