Chinese celebrate New year in Balinese style

Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

As the Year of the Horse arrived last Tuesday, thousands of Chinese residents flocked to Chinese temples across Bali hoping for blessings for the new year.

The night was cloudy but the rain failed to eventuate. Some were disappointed as the Chinese believe rains on the Lunar New Year is a good sign that brings prosperity throughout the year.

The Lunar New Year's was coincided with Siwaratri night for the Balinese Hindu. Siwaratri or the night of the god of Siva is one of the holiest nights in the Balinese lunar calendar. That night, Hindu believers were required to stay awake and to perform meditation and self-contemplation as repentance for their past mistakes and sins.

Both Hindu and Confucian devotees separately prayed for blessings on their lives and for their countries as well.

In several Chinese klenteng or temples such as in Vihara Dharmayana in Kuta, services started at midnight and continued until sunrise.

Hindria Suarlim, caretaker of the Vihara, suggested that visitors to the Vihara perform special prayers to help ease their brothers and sisters who suffered in the recent natural disaster.

"Let's pray for the country's future. We must eliminate all differences -- social status, ethnic and religion. Let's find our commonness," said Suarlim.

Meanwhile, most of Hindu people observed the Siwaratri night solemnly. People gathered in Puputan park in Denpasar to hold communal prayers. Every banjar (traditional Balinese community) also organized prayers and hummed religious chants to observe the night of forgiveness.

Balinese people and the ethnic Chinese observed the religious festive peacefully. All public and private schools on the island were on holiday from Saturday through Wednesday. Business and government activities had almost ceased as most government and state-owned companies operating in Bali were closed.

For the Balinese people, Saturday, Feb. 9, was Saraswati day. School students carried out special prayers to honor Sarawati, the goddess of knowledge. At homes, all school textbooks and religious books were placed on family shrines and were given special offerings in the hope that all family members were blessed by the goddess and were given more knowledge and wisdom.

Two other major Hindu ceremonies, Siwaratri and Pagerwesi, fell on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 respectively.

The Chinese New Year has enlivened Bali's tourism industry.

Mercya Evers, public relation manager for the Hard Rock Hotel in Kuta, was happy. "Our occupancy rates increased to almost 80 percent," she said.

The guests were mostly from Jakarta, Singapore and Taiwan who celebrated the Chinese New Year in Bali.

Anastasia Liyadi from Bali Hyatt in Sanur said the hotel had organized special events to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Ethnic Chinese living in Bali mostly find the island and its people friendly.

The existence of the Chinese community in Bali has been recorded for centuries although many of them have been influenced by Bali's culture. On the other hand, Chinese influence on Balinese culture can also be felt.

In many Chinese temples there were also numerous canang and sesajen -- Balinese-style offerings consisting of various flowers and fruits.