Balinese Greeting

Generally, Balinese are used to meeting and greeting foreigners and non-Balinese, so you will find that most people will greet you with a handshake, as many people do in western countries. You may have noticed, however, that they have a special style of handshake which for men seems almost effeminate. It’s certainly not of the knuckle-cracking variety you’ll receive in many of the more macho of the western countries! After the light handshake the person may touch their chest, as part of the ritual – this is in fact a Javanese tradition that has crept into Balinese society and not everyone does it. The European and Mediterranean tradition of kissing each other on the cheeks is foreign to Bali.

The traditional Balinese greeting is, naturally, a Hindu one – the hands are clasped in front the chest in a relaxed prayer position and the person says, “Om Swasti Astu”, meaning ‘peace and greetings from God’. About five years ago, it was less common to see people greeting each other in this way, but since the Bali Bombings and the active promotion of Balinese cultural values in the mass media (Ajeg Bali) it is much more commonplace. People even answer the phone in this way too.

When you’re meeting or conversation is over, you can say something in Balinese to let the other person know you’re leaving. It is just a pleasantry, really, but people appreciate it more than just saying “bye”, “dah” (Indonesian slang) or, worse still, saying nothing at all. So you can say a number of different things. The most polite is: “Titiang lungsur mapamit dumun” (I’m taking leave now) which is best reserved for people you really respect or people of high caste. Otherwise, you can just say “Pamit dumun”, “Pamit”, “Ngiring dumun” or “Ngiring”. If you know the person well and they are not of caste, you can say “Kalihin malu”, which just means “I’m off – see ya!”