March 2009 in Bali

This March was more eventful than usual in Bali... unbeknownst to me before finding myself in the middle of it all! Several of the most important holidays in Balinese Hinduism happened to coincide this year, making this "island of the Gods" very interesting for the last little while!

Galungan is the most important holiday in Balinese Hinduism - a ten-day celebration symbolizing the victory of Virtue (Dharma) upon Evil (Adharma). The Balinese honor their ancestors and pray for their departed souls, and thus is close to the hearts of the Balinese. One of the most significant changes that you see around Bali as a result of this holiday is the festive transformation of the streets, especially in smaller towns and villages, where the traditional 'penjor' sprout up. A 'penjor' is a tall bamboo pole splendidly decorated with woven young coconut leaves, fruit, cakes and flowers; it is placed by every entrance-way on the island!









There are a series of important festivities over the ten days, and people tend to be attired in their finest clothes and jewels, and return to their ancestral home-towns for the ceremonies. I think in a lot of ways this is the equivalent of Christmas for Christians... without the absurd commercialism. According to the 210-day Balinese calendar, this holy day occurs once every 6 months. The Galungan Holy Day can have heightened significance (there are three types, according to the Bali Travel Guide). This year I was told it was Galungan Nadi (or Grand Galungan); the date coincided with the Full Moon and so the preparations were much more intensive, and the celebration was much more grand.



A prayer tray, including all the essential elements needed for the complex praying and offerings in the temple.

The preparations are intense as is, and I only saw a sneak-peek of all the intricate goings-on. There are several days of preparation leading up to the first day of Galungan, and while on a Hash run through some central villages, I witnessed first-hand the day before Galungan - "Penampahan", or slaughter day - several of the riverbanks we ran along were dotted with Balinese plucking chickens in preparing them as sacrificial animals that will go into the temple or altar offerings.

On Galungan day itself, Balinese devotees pray at the temples and make their offerings to the spirits. Women are seen carrying the offerings on their heads, while men bring palm fronds. Generally, the day after Galungan, Balinese visit their kinfolk and closest friends.



My friend, Dayu, and her family.


Kuningan is a celebration which takes place ten days after Galungan, bringing the holiday period to a closing time. On this day, a special ritual ceremony is held for the Ancestral spirits, as it is believed this is when they ascend back to heaven after ten days on earth.


Nyepi is the Hindu New Year and "Day of Silence". The entire island of Bali is shut down, and nothing moves for 24 hours... people nor vehicles are not allowed in the streets or on beaches, and the use of electricity is completely prohibited. It is supposed to be a day for introspection and reflection on life and values.

Like all Balinese Hindu holidays, Nyepi is not a one-day, stand-alone event - it is comprised of a series of events, in this case, leading up to Nypei Day. I was invited to participate with some Balinese friends on one of these special days: Melasti, which occurs three days before Nyepi.



My friend's son and neices, who became my companions/guides throughout the ceremony.





Melasti is a cleansing ceremony. All Balinese participate; they carry the statues of their Gods from their community temples, as well as all offerings, to the beach to be cleansed, and also to infuse them with "Amerta" (the source for eternal life) from the ocean.










The ceremonial caravan from the village temple to the coast was long and colourful; most were dressed in white blouses, and of course, the women wearing the traditional Kebaya carrying tall offering plates piled high with fruits and other foods, colourful cloth, flowers, incense and much much more! I was actually asked to partake in the procession (the only Bule, which got lots of stares, and smiles), so the family dressed me up in appropriate garb, put the flowers in my hair, and explained about the tradition... so that was good fun!














The actual prayers at the coast were indescribable... it was a sea of white, as EVERYONE on the entire island gathered along the beaches to pray together! A beautiful, stunning site. I was taught the manner of Hindu prayer by the son and neices of my friend... although it would take a lifetime of study to truly understand this complex religion.










After the communal prayer, everything processes back to the community temple and there is dancing and music and some more ceremony in the individual community temples. By the time I got home that night I was completely wiped and overwhelmed...



The day before Nyepi is usually the opposite of the day itself; extremely active! Each village holds a large exorcism ceremony to rid the place of demons. For a week prior they are creating and fashioning their "Ogoh-ogoh" (the bamboo parade floats of outrageous figures and fantastic monsters to represent evil spirits). The Ogoh-ogoh monsters which symbolize evil spirits to be rid from lives, are paraded around to the tune of Bleganjur (Balinese gamelan music) during a grand carnival which takes place after sunset on the eve of Nyepi.

The monsters are often scripted from classical Balinese lore; they usually have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair and are illuminated by torches and eerie lighting. This year the Ogoh-ogoh were banned from Bali, as a result of fears that the carnivals would end in fights between political parties vying in the upcoming general election (April 9th).

Because of the Ogoh-ogoh carnivals being cancelled (the part of Nyepi I was most interested in seeing), and the fact that a good friend was having a birthday getaway coinciding with Nyepi, I didn't actually experience the bringing in of the New Year in Bali this year... I went to the Gili Islands of Lombok! So that for another blog!!!