Tri Hita Karana and Tourism in Bali (6)
Green Team, or Simply THK Team

We have briefly spoken key performance areas (KPA) of the tri hita karana (THK) competitions and accreditations. KPA is a key prerequisite for those hotels aspiring to win the trophy of the THK Tourism Awards prepared by the Governor of Bali, the Chairman of Bali’s DPRD Provincial Legislative Assembly, and the Minister of Culture and Tourism.
Those failing to fulfill the KPA prerequisite shall be excluded from possible decoration of THK Tourism Awards trophy. However, the Awards and Accreditations prgram is also open to them.
The organizing committee in charge of the event, also arranges THK certification apart from the trophy. More weight will be given to the certification in the forthcoming years because more emphasis will be given to the ‘evaluation of the internal condition of the participating enterprise and to the competition itself.’ The committee will prepare THK certificates starting from rates of C (sufficient /credited), B (good/distinctive) and A (very good/highly distinctive) up to A-plus (excellent).
Those failing to acquire the minimum rate of certification shall go into a group of affiliates, and will undergo upgrading if requested.
The KPA pawongan aspect requires that 85 % of the hotel’s workforce be Balinese in support of Balinese culture. The reason for this is based on the principle that tourism in Bali is rooted in the culture of the island, with the Hindu religious background being its main strength. Therefore, it is only proper that the main bearers of Balinese culture have the main place in this province’s tourism industry.
The KPA pawongan aspect is closely linked to the parhyangan aspect, which requires the property to have a temple facility for communal rituals in the tourism industry. On the other hand, the KPA palemahan aspect is more related to the environment management in accordance with the international standards, as defined by ISO 14001,without neglecting the local touch.
By means of the KPA mentioned above, an expectation would rise in hotels contesting for THK Awards & Accreditations that they should own Tri Hita Karana (THK) Team capable of deciding policy, concurrently of regulating all activities related with the THK program. At present, almost all hotel chains of four-star level and above, have their own Green Team (GT), specially engaged with task related with physical environment matter. In the meantime, matters of non-physical character have almost remained untouched by the GT, notwithstanding the fact that Balinese culture – as described in article of preceding edition – has always been fully loaded with cultural and ritual activities.
The ritual and cultural activities have come to realization in almost all sectors of human life. Ritual, denoting a sense of affection, while being very intimate with problem of environment, includes amongst others the following periodization:
(1) Saturday Kliwon, Wuku Wariga, coming once within six month period (210 hari) is a time of ritual of Tumpek Uduh/Pengatag dedicated to plants – vide Balinese calendar. The essence of the holy offering is that it is directed to God for His grace of rewarding human beings with prospering plants. Similar dedication to God is shown in prayer of grace that animals (cow, pig, duck, chicken, bird, and goose) remain in safety, arranged in a ritual six monthly (Balinese calendar) on the day of Tumpek Kandang on Saturday Kliwon, Wuku Uye.
(2) A ritual to God takes place six-monthly within 210 days according to Balinese calendar, aimed at eternalizing art and its product – mainly art of puppeteering or ‘pedalangan’, art of ‘gamelan’ striking, dance, carving, painting, and the like. The ritual takes place on Tumpek Wayang Day – every Saturday Kliwon, Wuku Wayang.
(3) Another ritual taking place similarly once every within 210 days in Balinese calendar is the Tumpek Landep Day, celebrated on Saturday Kliwon, Wuku Landep. The aim of such a ritual to God is to preserve utility and magic power of weaponry and implements in view of its use in human life, such as dagger, sickle, carver’s knife and gun. A ritual to be held six-monthly for the sake of human safety and their ancestors’ sacredness, in ancestral temple (‘sanggah’/’merajan’) once six-monthly (wihtin 210-day period), takes place on Tumpek Klurut — every Saturday Kliwon, Wuku Klurut.
(4) Saturday Kliwon, Wuku Kuningan is another Tumpek Holiday appearing once within 210 days according to Balinese calendar, opening opportunity for Balinese to celebrate Kuningan Holy Day, for the sake of the safety of macrocosmos and all of its contents.
Another holy day of importance to Hindu Balinese Sabtu Kliwon is Tresna Asih appearing monthly within 35 days in Balinese calendar on Saturday Kliwon. Tresna etymologically means fidel, while ‘asih’ means ‘love’. ‘Tresna asih’ is identique with the sense of Valentine Day ceIebrated on 14 February, but the Balinese holy day has a wider scope because of its inclusion of six sorts, of which each is welcome once monthly (in Balinese calendar). Consequently, Tresna Asih Day is celebrated 12 times annualy according to Balinese calendar.
In view of the above-written explanation, it seems to be reasonable for every hotel to establish its own THK Team, apart of Green Team, or just to have only aTHK Team, which in effect includes action related with physical environment. By Berata Asrama, The Chairman of THK Awards & Accreditations