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Water Lantern, the History Behind

For thousands of years the Chinese people have used paper lotus lanterns to carry their wishes away over the water where they will hopefully find fulfillment. 

Water Lanterns are also know as Tealight Lanterns. Water Lanterns are great for all celebrations.

Use water lanterns on pools or ponds for a romantic and elegant touch. Float lanterns on water to send well wishes or in memorandum. You can also use the Water Lanterns on land. They make beautiful wedding decorations. You can use Water Lanterns on porches or decks, in the yard or garden. Place the water lanterns along a walk way for a luminary effect. Water lanterns are originated from a legend that the drowned persons-ghosts  who wanted to come back to the human world to meet their offerings can find their ways throng the light of water lanterns their offering released. Now people release them to memorize their predecessors and hope to have good luck all the year in health, prosperity, love and etc. After some ceremonies, the local folks will light up the lanterns and put them on water to let them float. With the float of lantern, people may pray what they wish. 

These lanterns can be released on Halloween, Easter day, New year, or other festivals.

 
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Tari Pendet from Bali

Hi friends,

Nice to meet you again, today I would like to introduce you with an exotic traditional dance from Bali. Bali is a province of Indonesia, located on Bali Island, Bali is famous with its beatiful landscape and traditional customs. Balinese are Hinduism, and every customs and culturals of Balinese are influenced with this religion. This Picture on the left shown a Hindu Temple which can be found everywhere in Bali. The other of Hindu influence of Bali culture is Tari Pendet an exotic dance which danced as an offering to gods.

" Pendet is a traditional Balinese dance, in which offerings are made to purify the temple or theater as a prelude to  ceremonies or other dances. Pendet is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are cast into the air at various times in the dance. Pendet can be thought of as a dance of greeting, to welcome the audience and invite spirits to enjoy a performance. " - Indonesia First Blog News

According to Indonesia First Blog News, Pendet Dance is divided into: sacred dance called Wali and entertainment dance called Bebalihan. Wali (sacred dance) is usually performed in some ritual ceremonies only because it has strong magical powers and only can be performed by specific dancers. Bebalihan are usually performed in social events. Bebalihan also has other purposes such as: welcoming guests, celebration of harvests, or gathering crowds. Bebalihan has more variations than Wali. As a religious dance, Pendet is usually performed during temple ceremonies.

All dancers carry in their right hand a small offering of incense, cakes, water vessels, or flower formations. With these they dance from shrine to shrine within the temple. Pendet may be performed intermittently throughout the day and late into the night during temple feasts.The original Pendet dance is performed by 4-5 young girls (before their puberty) in temple yards. Pendet dancers bring flowers in small Bokor (silver bowls for keeping flowers in a ceremony). They spread the flowers around the temple. This dance is a symbol of welcoming God in some ritual ceremonies in Bali. Pendet actually has simple dance movements. These movements are the basic dance movements of Balinese dance. Pendet has undergone later development with variations and now is not only performed in ritual ceremonies but also in some social events. 

Pendet since has been known as a welcoming dance.

The Balinese

The origins of the Balinese came from three periods: The first waves of immigrants came from Java and Kalimantan in the prehistoric times of the proto-Malay stock; the second wave of Balinese came slowly over the years from Java during the Hindu period; the third and final period came from Java, between the 15th and 16th centuries, at the time of the conversion of Islam in Java, aristocrats fled to Bali from the Javanese Majapahit Empire to escape Islamic conversion, reshaping the Balinese culture into a syncretic form of classical Javanese culture with many Balinese elements.

The Balinese people generally got a large proportion of their ancestry from there. The vast majority of the Balinese follow one religion - A Shivaite sect of Hinduism that is mixed with pre-Hindu mythologies. The Balinese from before the third wave of immigration, known as the Bali Aga, are mostly not followers of the Balinese Shivaite Hinduism, but their own animist traditions. Balinese culture is perhaps most known for dance, drama and sculpture. The culture is noted for its use of the gamelan in music. The island is also known for its form of Wayang kulit or Shadow play/Shadow Puppet theatre. It also has several unique aspects related to their religions and traditions. Balinese culture is a mix of Balinese Hindu religion and Balinese custom.