Barong and Rangda
The one thing to remember
The most famous dance in Bali has no winner. That is the entire point.
A fight that never finishes
Barong is a protective creature, lion-like, shaggy, closer to a benevolent beast than a tame one. Rangda is the demon queen who opposes him. They fight, and here is the part that surprises people: nobody wins. The dance ends with the balance restored, not with good destroying evil. In a tradition built on keeping opposites in tension, a decisive victory would be the wrong ending.
The men with the daggers
Partway through, men carrying kris daggers rush in to help Barong. Rangda turns their own blades against them, and they fall into a trance, pressing the points into their chests. Barong's power is what keeps them from being hurt. Priests bring them back afterward with holy water. It is the moment the audience remembers, and it is not staged for the audience: the trance is treated as real, and handled with care.
How to tell what you are looking at
The most common Barong is Barong Ket, the one with the wide red face, bulging eyes, gold-and-mirror crown, and two men inside working the front and back. Rangda appears with wild hair, long nails and a fearsome mouth. If you see one figure being carried by two people and another moving alone with white fabric, you are almost certainly looking at Barong and Rangda.
Keep going
One god, many faces
Bali has one supreme god, not hundreds. Everything else you see is a face of that one god.
Nyepi, the day the island stops
For twenty-four hours Bali does nothing at all. No flights, no traffic, no lights after dark. Ngurah Rai is the only airport in the world that closes every year for a religious day.
Stay with us
Villa Samaddhi
In Peliatan, a village with a long reputation for Balinese dance. Ask our host what is on while you are here.