0 Dalung village, a paradigm of Bali religious harmony

Lines of penjor (bamboo poles) festooned with young coconut leaves, flowers, fruit, papers and textiles stand tall on the streets of Dalung village in North Kuta. Dalung residents celebrate Christmas and New Year holidays with similar decorations to major Balinese Hindu holidays like Galungan and Kuningan, which fall every six months. Dalung is one of the largest Christian enclaves on the island of Bali. 

The majority of residents are Catholics and Protestants. Dalung also has a number of Catholic and Protestant churches, built with perfect mixtures of Western and Balinese architectural design. The richly decorated Santo Paulus Catholic church is near the Hindu village temple. In neighboring Tuka village, young men study theology at the Roh Kudus Sacred Spirit Catholic Seminary, which has been in operation for more than five decades. 

The seminary is near Tuka village temples. A number of Christian schools and learning institutions are also located in Dalung with hundreds of students studying there. Dalung’s Christian communities live side by side in harmony with neighbors of different faiths. Made Sudira, secretary of Kulibul Church community, said there were 175 Catholic families in seven banjar (traditional hamlets) in Dalung village. 

Historically, Catholic communities in the Hindu-dominated island started to grow in the early 1920s when the Dutch administration granted a permit to develop a Catholic school in Bali. The school, however, operated only in 1935 when Catholic priest J. Kersten stayed in Denpasar. Since that time, numerous churches have been built in Tuka and Dalung villages, Gumbrin and Palasari villages in Jembrana regency and in Tangeb village in Badung. 

The Catholic communities have existed for three generations. “My grandfather was a devout Hindu. Our families respect each other’s faith. Some are Catholics; the others still hold strongly to the Hindu faith. But, we are living in a peaceful atmosphere,” said Sudira. Christmas and New Year holidays have become precious moments that unite Dalung residents in happy and tolerant relationships. 

Ni Ketut Sarini, an old Hindu woman in Tuka, remembers that she was always happy to receive jotan gifts of food and drink from her Christian neighbors. Jotan is given to families and neighbors during celebrations. “Despite our different faiths, all Christian neighbors are genuine Balinese people who never leave their traditions behind,” Sarini said. Sudira said that Dalung is just one of the exemplary places where people of different faiths live together in harmony.

source : bali daily