What is a banjar, and what does it do?
Behind every Balinese village is a banjar. It is a neighbourhood community, smaller than the village (desa), but large enough to organise everyone's lives. The desa is the official structure, and the banjar is its social heart. A banjar is not a town hall but a kind of traditional council, which governs village life and also finds solutions to the problems its residents face.
What is it for? Almost everything:
- Ceremonies: weddings, temple festivals and above all cremations, which are very expensive and for which members help each other.
- Upkeep of temples, roads and village buildings.
- Arbitration: the banjar settles disputes and enforces customary law (adat).
- Security: the pecalang, a community guard, coordinate traffic and make sure ceremonies run smoothly. They are the ones who enforce Nyepi.
There are two types: the banjar adat, for religion and custom, and the banjar dinas, for administration (birth, marriage and death certificates). The members are the married couples of the neighbourhood. The head (klian banjar) is elected by the members and is not paid for his heavy duties.
What you will see in the village:
- The bale banjar, a large open pavilion, with a kitchen equipped for banquets. Meetings, gamelan rehearsals and ceremonies are held there.
- The kulkul, a split wooden drum hung in a tower. Its rhythm gathers residents, or announces a ceremony.
- Groups for everyone: young people (sekaa teruna) make the ogoh-ogoh for Nyepi, for example, and women have their own association.
A detail that says a lot: by tradition, a resident who refused to take part could be denied access to the village cemetery, or even the organisation of a cremation. Everyone owes their share to the community.
Verdict: the banjar explains why Bali has held on to so much of its tradition, and why offerings, music and festivals keep going without government help.
Tip: if you hear a kulkul or meet pecalang in traditional dress at a crossroads, slow down and follow their instructions: a ceremony is under way.