– (Yusuf IJsseldijk/Wikimedia Commons)
ZERO HAND
In the village of Trunyan, descendants of the Bali Aga ethnic group do not bury their dead: they simply place them to decompose at the foot of banyan trees, trees considered sacred. Then the bones are arranged into arrays
UNITY IS STRENGTH
Indonesian culture believes that humans depend on each other and that only together can we achieve certain goals. This tradition even has a name: “gotong royong”. It is very common to see people helping each other
RICE AGAIN?
A saying in the country says that “you didn’t eat well if you didn’t eat rice”. The grain is so essential that it is often eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
CRAZY LAWS
In the city of Gorontalo, married civil servants must immediately transfer their salary to their wife to “avoid fights”. And in Purbalingga, they are required to wear jewelry with local gemstones.
– (Reproduction/Wikimedia Commons)
WHAT A BIG MOUTH YOU HAVE!
Would you enter this mouth to…meditate? The Goa Gajah cave, near the city of Ubud, is carved with a frightening figure, but is used for relaxation rituals.
– (Reproduction/Wikimedia Commons)
COLOR SAVES
A village in the south of Malang has seen its economy change radically after painting its houses in vibrant tones. Kampug Warna-Warni (“village of colors”) turned out to be a tourist spot
– (Reproduction/Wikimedia Commons)
GRANDMA RECOMMENDS
Jamu is a common craft remedy in Java. It can be made from roots, flowers, seeds, leaves, fruits, honey, royal jelly, milk and even eggs. And it works for everything – especially for curing the flu.
– (Reproduction/Wikimedia Commons)
SNOW WHITE
Young women shun the sun as the devil shuns the cross. Unfortunately, the aesthetic prevails that white skin is more beautiful. There are dozens of products that promise to lighten it – many of them harmful to health.
- 9 hours: Average daily time Jakarta residents spend with mobile phones and tablets
- BRL 11.80: (50 thousand rupees) is the average price of a cinema ticket
- 87.2% of the population declare themselves Muslim
- 2,975 higher education institutions. Only 3% of them are public
SOURCES Atlas Obscura, Travel Lush, Inside Indonesia, Jakarta Globe, Sense Asian, Numbeo and Facts of Indonesia