Palasari, where tolerance breeds harmony

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Jembrana, West Bali

Palasari is typical of other traditional Balinese villages, where shady trees and hundreds of richly decorated houses lie on either side of the road.

Penjor, tall bamboo poles beautified with coconut leaves, are also a common sight in the village, located some 120 kilometers west of Denpasar.

The village women wear their refined kebaya (traditional blouses made of delicate lace or silk) teamed with ornate songket (woven cloth with gold thread), while flowers decorate their hair. The men are clad in white shirts, woven ikat along with udeng head scarves.

The sight is common in most Balinese villages, especially during major religious festivals like Galungan, Kuningan, Saraswati or Odalan (family or village temple celebrations).

But in Palasari, people head to the huge Hati Kudus (Sacred Heart) Catholic Church located in the center of the village to celebrate Christmas or attend mass.

Built in l954 and completed in l958, the church has become the center of religious and social activity for Palasari's residents, the largest Catholic community on Bali.

During the Christmas and New Year holidays everyone in the village is in a festive mood.

At Christmas, the interior room, featuring Gothic arches, is decorated with a myriad of white lilies, red roses and other flowers. There are also two large-sized Balinese gebogan (an arrangement of fresh fruit, colorful rice cakes attached by skewers to a length of banana trunk) placed beside the church altar, close to the Christmas tree. In the Balinese Hindu community, gebogan is usually used as an offering to the Gods.

The Sacred Heart Church, built on a 36,000-square-meter plot of land, is a superb blend of European Gothic and Balinese architectural styles.

It was designed by Father Ignatius A. M. de Vriese with the assistance of two Balinese architectural experts Ida Bagus Tugur from Denpasar and I Gusti Nyoman Rai from Dalung, Kuta, who were both prominent figures in the Balinese Hindu community.

Palasari consists of 10 banjar (traditional villages). Three of the banjar belong to Catholic residents, one to the Muslims and seven to the Hindus.

Father Guido Fahik of Palasari Sacred Heart Church said that all the residents, who come from diverse religious backgrounds, have lived in harmony for almost five decades.

"Since l947, we have been building various public facilities for education, from a kindergarten to a high school and two technical high schools," the father said. The village also has a community health clinic to cater for the needs of local residents.

"There has been no ethnic and religious conflict among residents in Palasari as far as I know," he added.

In recent years, a number of Hindu leaders questioned the use of Hindu names, apparels and ceremonial ornaments by Catholic residents here.

Cyullus Ketut Nabor Ledang, head of Palasari banjar, said that he is a Catholic-born Balinese. "Although we are Catholics, it does not mean that we have left our Balinese traditions behind," he said.

In the past, many Balinese people objected to seeing their Catholic and Christian brothers and sisters wearing traditional Balinese clothes such as udeng, kebaya and songket during Christian festivals such as Christmas or when attending church mass.

Catholics were also required not to erect penjor or other decorations used in any Hindu temple festivals.

"As we are Balinese, what do people expect us to wear? We believe we have to separate religion from tradition," Ketut said.

Apart from converting to religions other than Hinduism, most Balinese still feel very close to their own traditions. "My Muslim brothers still keep their Balinese names like Wayan, Nyoman, Ketut and they still cook and eat Balinese food, although they don't include pork in their menu," he said. This has also taken place among Balinese Catholics and Protestants, he added.

Father Guido maintained that all the people of Bali should be wise.

"Bali is vulnerable to conflict," he said. Between l998 and 2000, a number of minor conflicts happened in Bali. "The conflicts were part of the excess of the reform movement. But I think it is a common feature of a nation that wants to build democracy," he said.

Father Guido assured that Palasari and its residents would not become an exclusive Catholic community. "It is an exercise for us to learn to be more tolerant to people at a smaller scale before we plunge into a wider and more open world."