Kebaya, Indonesia Cultural Heritage

Indonesia has a cultural heritage that is priceless. With ethnic diversity that exists and each has its own customs, making Indonesia a diverse work culture. One of them, such as kebaya.

Sanur Beach Bali

Sanur Beach is a place of wayfaring famous tourist island of Bali. This place is located just east of Denpasar, the capital of Bali. Sanur located in the Municipality of Denpasar.

Sasando Rote

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Sangguana who lived in Rote Island. One day, he tended to savannah. Felt tired and asleep, he slept under a palmyra tree. That’s when the dream came.

Arts Debus From Banten

Debus is a martial art from Banten. This art was created in the 16th century, in the reign of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin (1532-1570). Debus, an art which demonstrates the remarkable human ability, immune to sharp weapons, fire resistant.

Hanging Stone and Origin of Parapat City

In one remote village on the outskirts of Lake Toba in North Sumatra, there lived a husband and wife with a beautiful daughter named Chrysanthemum.In addition to beautiful, Chrysanthemum is also very diligent in helping parents work in the fields.

Sabtu, 26 Februari 2011

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.


The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.


Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians.

Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction

Bali Island

With a population recorded as 3,891,000 in 2010, the island is home to most of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. In Bali's population adhered to Balinese Hinduism while most of the remainder follow Islam. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. Bali, despite being a tourist haven for decades, has seen a surge in tourist numbers in recent years.

Temple In Bali

Bali was inhabited by about 2000 BC by Austronesian peoples who migrated originally from Taiwan through Maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are thus closely related to the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and Oceania.  Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.

Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture, beginning around the 1st century AD. The name Bali dwipa ("Bali island") has been discovered from various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD and mentioning "Walidwipa". It was during this time that the complex irrigation system subak was developed to grow rice. Some religious and cultural traditions still in existence today can be traced back to this period. The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. When the empire declined, there was an exodus of intellectuals, artists, priests, and musicians from Java to Bali in the 15th century.

Sanur Beach

The first European contact with Bali is thought to have been made in 1585 when a Portuguese ship foundered off the Bukit Peninsula and left a few Portuguese in the service of Dewa Agung. In 1597 the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived at Bali and, with the establishment of the Dutch East India Company in 1602, the stage was set for colonial control two and a half centuries later when Dutch control expanded across the Indonesian archipelago throughout the second half of the nineteenth century (see Dutch East Indies). Dutch political and economic control over Bali began in the 1840s on the island's north coast, when the Dutch pitted various distrustful Balinese realms against each other. In the late 1890s, struggles between Balinese kingdoms in the island's south were exploited by the Dutch to increase their control.

The Dutch mounted large naval and ground assaults at the Sanur region in 1906 and were met by the thousands of members of the royal family and their followers who fought against the superior Dutch force in a suicidal puputan defensive assault rather than face the humiliation of surrender. Despite Dutch demands for surrender, an estimated 1,000 Balinese marched to their death against the invaders. In the Dutch intervention in Bali (1908), a similar massacre occurred in the face of a Dutch assault in Klungkung. Afterwards the Dutch governors were able to exercise administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali came later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku.

Jimbaran Beach

In the 1930s, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, and artists Miguel Covarrubias and Walter Spies, and musicologist Colin McPhee created a western image of Bali as "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature", and western tourism first developed on the island.

Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II, during which time a Balinese military officer, Gusti Ngurah Rai, formed a Balinese 'freedom army'. The lack of institutional changes from the time of Dutch rule however, and the harshness of war requisitions made Japanese rule little better than the Dutch one. Following Japan's Pacific surrender in August 1945, the Dutch promptly returned to Indonesia, including Bali, immediately to reinstate their pre-war colonial administration. This was resisted by the Balinese rebels now using Japanese weapons. On 20 November 1946, the Battle of Marga was fought in Tabanan in central Bali. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai, by then 29 years old, finally rallied his forces in east Bali at Marga Rana, where they made a suicide attack on the heavily armed Dutch. The Balinese battalion was entirely wiped out, breaking the last thread of Balinese military resistance. In 1946 the Dutch constituted Bali as one of the 13 administrative districts of the newly proclaimed State of East Indonesia, a rival state to the Republic of Indonesia which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali was included in the "Republic of the United States of Indonesia" when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence on 29 December 1949.

Tari Pendet

The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung killed thousands, created economic havoc and forced many displaced Balinese to be transmigrated to other parts of Indonesia. Mirroring the widening of social divisions across Indonesia in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bali saw conflict between supporters of the traditional caste system, and those rejecting these traditional values. Politically, this was represented by opposing supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), with tensions and ill-feeling further increased by the PKI's land reform programs. An attempted coup in Jakarta was put down by forces led by General Suharto. The army became the dominant power as it instigated a violent anti-communist purge, in which the army blamed the PKI for the coup. Most estimates suggest that at least 500,000 people were killed across Indonesia, with an estimated 80,000 killed in Bali, equivalent to 5% of the island's population. With no Islamic forces involved as in Java and Sumatra, upper-caste PNI landlords led the extermination of PKI members.

Indonesian Serampang XII Dance

Serampang XII Dance  is a traditional Malay dance that developed under Serdang Sultanate. This dance was created by Sauti in the 1940s and repeated by its creator composed between the years 1950-1960. Prior named Serampang XII, this dance called Dance Island Sari, in accordance with the title song which accompanies this dance, the song  Sari Island. 





At least there are two reasons why the name of Island Dance Sari replaced Serampang XII. First, the name Pulau Sari less precise because the dance is fast-paced (quick step). According to Tengku Mira Ray, a dance that preceded the word "island" is usually tempo rumba, like Dance Dance Pulau Kampai and Island Princess. While Serampang XII Dancing has fast-paced movements such as Dance Serampang Sea. Based on this, Sari Island Dance Dance Serampang more appropriately called XII. The name itself means twelve dances with the fastest movements in between the songs named serampang. Second, naming the Twelve Dancing Serampang dance refers to the range of motion, amounting to XII, namely: the first meeting, love sink in, bury love, crazy drunk, signaling a sign of love, return gesture, suspect, still do not believe, answers, areca-woo, escort bride, and meeting you. A description of the motion range Serampang Twelve Dancing will be discussed later.


According to Tengku Mira Ray, this dance is the result of the integration of motion between the Portuguese and Malay dances Serdang. Portuguese influence can be seen in the beauty of motion and dynamic rhythm of dance music retinue.


Portuguese Culture does influence Malay nation, seen from its traditional dance movement (Folklore) and the dynamic rhythm of dance music, we can see from the rhythm XII Serampang dance song two. However, its speed (2 / 4) duplicated, footwork and sway jumping lively body and hands just like the Portuguese dances. As a dancer of course I was amazed at the cultural links between the two countries, and as a Malay princess Serdang, in my imagination when teachers Sauti imagine dancing in front of the Palace City of Sultan Sulaiman Galuh Perbaungan. It's how smart he is with his imagination combine dance movement Portuguese and Malay Serdang, so as to create Dance Serampang XII famous throughout the world.


Serampang XII Dance sacred love story about two young men who emerged from the first sight and end with a marriage sanctioned by the parents of the virgin and the youth. Therefore, told the meeting of two hearts, the dance is usually played in pairs, male and female. However, in the early development of this dance is only performed by men because  of the condition of society at that time forbade women to appear in public, let alone show  body-sway.


Allowed women to play turned out to Dance Serampang XII positive influence on the development of this dance. Serampang XII not only developed and known by people in the area of Serdang Sultanate, but also spread to various regions in Indonesia, such as Riau, Jambi, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, even up to the Moluccas. In fact, dance is often performed in foreign countries, like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong.


The existence of the Twelve Dancing Serampang increasingly global discomfort was ignited Serdang Bedagai some communities in particular, and North Sumatra in general. Concerns arose because of two things. First, the spread of Dance Serampang Twelve to various regions and countries is not matched by its quality transformation. That is, the transformation of Twelve Dancing Serampang occur only in form only, not to the technique. According to Jose Rizal Firdaus, one of which concerned the development of Serampang Twelve Dancing is silting in terms of dance technique. This is caused by people from outside the area that plays dance Deli Serdang is not supported by the mastery of proper technique. As a result, there was a shift from the original dance technique.
Second, the lack of concern for the younger generation to dance Serampang Twelve. The widespread distribution of this dance to the various regions was not offset by the increasing love of the young generation Serdang Bedagai of this dance. These conditions not only can cause Twelve Dancing Serampang lost because there is no successor, but also can be lost because it is claimed by another party.


Both phenomena must be addressed quickly and precisely for Serampang Twelve Dancing is not only unsustainable, but also can provide benefits to society Serdang Bedagai in particular, and Indonesia in general. At least there are three things you can do to save Serampang Twelve Dancing. First, make Serampang Twelve Dancing as a regional asset. That is, the government must make protection for this dance is not claimed by another party, namely the patent copyright.


Secondly, closer Serampang Twelve Dance to children and adolescents. How that can be done is to make the Dance Serampang Twelve as one of the local content of teaching materials. By making Serampang Twelve Dancing as local content material, then the children are taught early on to know the history of its existence and understand the values contained in each motion. In this way, then we have tried to impart to the younger generation a sense of love, pride, and sense of belonging to the Dance Serampang Twelve.
Third, carry out routine race Serampang Twelve Dancing. Held a dance contest means to find someone who has the best ability in dancing. In the race, only the best will become the champion. To be the best, everyone should learn by earnest to have the ability to dance better than anyone else. Through this strategy, everyone is fine "forced" to learn Serampang Twelve Dancing is good and right. If this does work, then there are two things at once achieved, namely sustainability Serampang Twelve Dancing on the one hand, and sustained quality Serampang Twelve Dancing technique on the other side. 






Fourth, welfare guarantees the conserve. The stakeholders, especially governments, need to make a breakthrough for conservationists Dance Serampang Twelve, as well as other cultural heritage conservationists, can live in salayak. The cultural conservationist culture will certainly continue to work and devote his life to preserving the cultural heritage if what was done not only by normative cultural preservation, but also practically became the backbone of survival. Often the cultural legacy left stranded because of the "do not provide" benefits to its owner.

The Origin of Lake Toba

In the region of Sumatra, there lived a farmer who is very diligent work. He lived alone all alone. Every day she work the lading and find fish with the tireless. This is done to meet the daily needs. 

One day the farmer went to the river near his home, he intends to find fish to eat today. With only armed with a fishing rod, bait and a fish, he headed straight into the rivers. Once when he got in the river, the farmer immediately threw the pole. While waiting kailnya eaten fish, farmers are praying, "god I hope I can fish a lot today." Some time after the prayer, he threw the hook that had seemed swayed. He immediately pulled pole. Farmers are very happy, because the fish are gotten very big and beautiful. 




After a few moments staring at the fish catch, the farmer was very shocked. It turns out the fish they catch it can speak. "Please do not eat me, sir! Let me live, "cried the fish. Without much question, the fish catch was immediately returned into the water again. After returning the fish into the water, farmers grew surprised, because the fish suddenly turned into a very beautiful woman. 


"Do not worry sir, I will not hurt you", said the fish. "Who are you? Are not you a fish?, Ask the farmer. "I was a princess who was cursed, because it violates the rules of the kingdom", replied the woman. "Thank you rescued me from the curse, and in return I am willing you to make a wife", she said. Farmers agreed that too. They then become as husband and wife. However, there is one promise that has been agreed, that they should not be told that the origin of daughter of a fish. If the promise was breached there will be a tremendous disaster. 




After a while they were married, farmer and his wife finally happiness increases, because the farmer's wife gave birth to a baby boy. Their son grew into a very handsome boy and strong, but there are habits that make everyone wonder. Children are always hungry, and never feel full. All without the rest of the rations of food eaten.


Until one day the farmer's son was given the task of the mother to deliver food and drinks to the field where his father was working. But the task is not fulfilled. All food should be eaten out for her father, and after that he fell asleep in a hut. Farmers wait for the arrival of her son, while holding thirsty and hungry. Unable to bear hunger, then he went straight home. On the way home, pack farmer saw his son was sleeping in the hut. Farmers are immediately awakened. "Hey, wake up!, Shouted the farmer.  
After her son woke up, the farmer was immediately asked his food. "Where's the food for me?", Asked the farmer. "It is finished I ate", replied the boy. With a high tone was immediately rebuked farmer son. "Children  do not know myself! Do not know myself! Basic fry!," Swear word without being aware of the Farmers say the word abstinence from his wife. 

After farmers say those words, immediately lost his wife and children disappeared without a trace and trail. Of the former stamping his feet, a sudden gush of water is very swift. The water overflow is very high and wide so as to form a lake. And eventually form a lake. The lake was eventually known as the Lake Toba.