Chinese celebrate New year in Balinese style

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.