Balinese Ceremonies and Holidays, partake in a cultural experience on your Bali holiday!
Balinese Ceremonies
Hindus in Bali have strict rules regarding temples and ceremonies. These rules mainly concern dress requirements and conditions of ‘sebel’ (taboo) such as menstruation or open wounds, bringing food into the temple, being physically or mentally ill, being in a state of mourning (for the Balinese this lasts 42 days or one month + 7 days of Balinese calender), and having given birth within the past 42 days. Other rules need to be observed or asked for, especially during festivals.
Temple’s etiquette:
There are numerous ceremonies in Bali, some of which are private, and some public; such as:
Odalan or temple ceremony usually lasts for three days, but larger ones (which occur every 5, 10, 30 or 100 years) can last for 11 days or longer. The gist of what is happening here is that the Balinese are honoring the deities that rule over the temple by giving them a myriad of offerings, performances of vocal music, dance and gamelan music. They invite them down from their abode on Mount Agung to partake in the activities. The temple is dressed up in colorful golden clothes, the images of the deities are taken to the local holy spring to be bathed and dressed in their best, shrines are cleaned, performances are rehearsed, committees are formed and then the big day arrives. Usually people take their offerings to the temple in the late afternoon, after the heat of the day has gone, and everyone's work and school obligations are over.
The offerings, consisting of fruits, rice cakes and flowers, are brought in on women's heads and placed at strategic points around the temple. These are blessed with holy water by the temple Pemangku or priest. The pilgrims then pray, are blessed with and drink holy water and then take the offerings home to share with their families. The gods have taken the sari or essence of the offerings, leaving the “leftovers” for the humans to consume. In the evenings, there could be spectacular performances of music and dance by local groups.
Since every village has at least three major temples (and often many more than that), there is always some kind of community religious activity going on.
Saraswati Day or Sarasvati, the Goddess of learning, science and literature. In accordance with Balinese Hindu belief, knowledge is an essential medium to achieve the goal of life as a human being. This day celebrates Sarasvati in Bali, a special day devoted to the Goddess of learning, science and literature. Sarasvati rules the intellectual and creative realm, and is the patron saint of libraries and schools. For Balinese Hindus, she is celebrated as she succeeded in taming the wandering and lustful mind of her consort, Brahma, who was preoccupied with the goddess of material existence, Shatarupa. On this day no one is allowed to read or write, and offerings are made to the lontar (palm-leaf scripts), books and shrines.
Day is celebrated every 210-days on Saniscara Umanis Wuku Watugunung and marks the start of the new year according to the Balinese Pawukon calendar. Ceremonies and prayers are held at the temples in family compounds, villages and businesses from morning to noon. Prayers are also held in school temples. Teachers and students abandon their uniforms for the day in place of bright and colourful ceremony gear, filling the island with colour! Children bring fruit and traditional cakes to school for offerings at the temple.
Bali’s Day of Silence “Nyepi” Çaka New Year of Hindus. The Balinese Hindus do not celebrate the coming of the new year of Çaka calendar with lavish party; they celebrate it with meditation instead. No activities are allowed to take place. These mandatory religious prohibitions include no pleasure (amati lelangon), no traffic (amati lelungan), no fire (amati geni) and no work (amati karya). This year, Nyepi Day falls on 14 March 2021 (1943 Balinese Year), 03 March 2022 (1944 Balinese Year), and 22 March 2023 (1945 Balinese Year).
On Nyepi Day, we will not be able to accept any check-in nor check-out throughout the day.
If you will be staying with us during Nyepi Day, kindly be informed of the below situations during Nyepi Day:
Galungan and Kuningan Galungan enlivens the whole island of Bali. It marks the beginning of the Pawukon year. These festivities, which start with the actual Galungan day, last 10 days and come to an end with the Kuningan celebration. Galungan celebrates the creation of the universe, the victory of the good, Dharma, against the evil, Adharma. It takes place in the familial temples where, according to the Balinese, the gods come down to earth and the ancestors’ souls pay a visit to their family.
It is always celebrated on a Wednesday. The celebration’s preparations start on the previous Monday, with the preparation of the cakes that will be used as offerings. On the Tuesday, men prepare the festive dinner (they kill pigs, to turn them into babi guling, satay and sausages) and women prepare the offerings.Men also make a penjor, finely decorated bamboo trunks with corn cobs, plaited palm leaves, yellow or white fabric and young coconut shoots, which they position on the side of the roads and in front of each house. Festivities come to an end with Kuningan, which celebrates purification. On that same day, the ancestors’ souls are leaving their family’s temple.
Pagerwesi Day, Pagerwesi is a festival dedicated to the spiritual strengthening and development of individuals’ forces against evil. On this occasion, the prayers and offerings aim at saving humanity, keeping evil away from men and ancestors.
Purnama or Full Moon, Full moon Ceremony of Bali's Hindus worshiping and doing appeal to Sang Hyang Chandra in order to meld the dirt of sin/mala ever done either deliberately or not deliberately, so in return clean soul and mind as readily. At the time of full moon are believed by Hindus in Bali is a good day to do a cleanse himself in full because the inner birth coincide with meditation of Sang Hyang Candra pray for the remission of sins to foundries and Hyang Widhi (God Almighty).
Hindus in Bali have strict rules regarding temples and ceremonies. These rules mainly concern dress requirements and conditions of ‘sebel’ (taboo) such as menstruation or open wounds, bringing food into the temple, being physically or mentally ill, being in a state of mourning (for the Balinese this lasts 42 days or one month + 7 days of Balinese calender), and having given birth within the past 42 days. Other rules need to be observed or asked for, especially during festivals.
Temple’s etiquette:
- Always wear a sarong and sash.
- Do not walk in front of people when they are praying.
- Do not use flash or point your camera at the priest’s face.
- Never sit higher than the priest, the offerings and/or people praying.
- During cremation ceremonies, never get in the way of attendees.
- Women are not allowed to enter temples during menstruation.
There are numerous ceremonies in Bali, some of which are private, and some public; such as:
Odalan or temple ceremony usually lasts for three days, but larger ones (which occur every 5, 10, 30 or 100 years) can last for 11 days or longer. The gist of what is happening here is that the Balinese are honoring the deities that rule over the temple by giving them a myriad of offerings, performances of vocal music, dance and gamelan music. They invite them down from their abode on Mount Agung to partake in the activities. The temple is dressed up in colorful golden clothes, the images of the deities are taken to the local holy spring to be bathed and dressed in their best, shrines are cleaned, performances are rehearsed, committees are formed and then the big day arrives. Usually people take their offerings to the temple in the late afternoon, after the heat of the day has gone, and everyone's work and school obligations are over.
The offerings, consisting of fruits, rice cakes and flowers, are brought in on women's heads and placed at strategic points around the temple. These are blessed with holy water by the temple Pemangku or priest. The pilgrims then pray, are blessed with and drink holy water and then take the offerings home to share with their families. The gods have taken the sari or essence of the offerings, leaving the “leftovers” for the humans to consume. In the evenings, there could be spectacular performances of music and dance by local groups.
Since every village has at least three major temples (and often many more than that), there is always some kind of community religious activity going on.
Saraswati Day or Sarasvati, the Goddess of learning, science and literature. In accordance with Balinese Hindu belief, knowledge is an essential medium to achieve the goal of life as a human being. This day celebrates Sarasvati in Bali, a special day devoted to the Goddess of learning, science and literature. Sarasvati rules the intellectual and creative realm, and is the patron saint of libraries and schools. For Balinese Hindus, she is celebrated as she succeeded in taming the wandering and lustful mind of her consort, Brahma, who was preoccupied with the goddess of material existence, Shatarupa. On this day no one is allowed to read or write, and offerings are made to the lontar (palm-leaf scripts), books and shrines.
Day is celebrated every 210-days on Saniscara Umanis Wuku Watugunung and marks the start of the new year according to the Balinese Pawukon calendar. Ceremonies and prayers are held at the temples in family compounds, villages and businesses from morning to noon. Prayers are also held in school temples. Teachers and students abandon their uniforms for the day in place of bright and colourful ceremony gear, filling the island with colour! Children bring fruit and traditional cakes to school for offerings at the temple.
Bali’s Day of Silence “Nyepi” Çaka New Year of Hindus. The Balinese Hindus do not celebrate the coming of the new year of Çaka calendar with lavish party; they celebrate it with meditation instead. No activities are allowed to take place. These mandatory religious prohibitions include no pleasure (amati lelangon), no traffic (amati lelungan), no fire (amati geni) and no work (amati karya). This year, Nyepi Day falls on 14 March 2021 (1943 Balinese Year), 03 March 2022 (1944 Balinese Year), and 22 March 2023 (1945 Balinese Year).
On Nyepi Day, we will not be able to accept any check-in nor check-out throughout the day.
If you will be staying with us during Nyepi Day, kindly be informed of the below situations during Nyepi Day:
- The silence begins sunrise 6:00 am of and will go on until the next 24 hours.
- All shops are closed on Nyepi Day.
- Guests must stay inside the villa area.
- When listening to the music or watching TV in the villa, keep the sound at minimum level.
- There will be no traffic on that day in the whole of Bali.
- Ngurah Rai Airport will be closed on the 9th March 2016.
- Across all of Bali the only activity will be within emergency and maternity sections of hospitals. Any emergency is taken into account though and will be assisted by relevant authorities.
Galungan and Kuningan Galungan enlivens the whole island of Bali. It marks the beginning of the Pawukon year. These festivities, which start with the actual Galungan day, last 10 days and come to an end with the Kuningan celebration. Galungan celebrates the creation of the universe, the victory of the good, Dharma, against the evil, Adharma. It takes place in the familial temples where, according to the Balinese, the gods come down to earth and the ancestors’ souls pay a visit to their family.
It is always celebrated on a Wednesday. The celebration’s preparations start on the previous Monday, with the preparation of the cakes that will be used as offerings. On the Tuesday, men prepare the festive dinner (they kill pigs, to turn them into babi guling, satay and sausages) and women prepare the offerings.Men also make a penjor, finely decorated bamboo trunks with corn cobs, plaited palm leaves, yellow or white fabric and young coconut shoots, which they position on the side of the roads and in front of each house. Festivities come to an end with Kuningan, which celebrates purification. On that same day, the ancestors’ souls are leaving their family’s temple.
Pagerwesi Day, Pagerwesi is a festival dedicated to the spiritual strengthening and development of individuals’ forces against evil. On this occasion, the prayers and offerings aim at saving humanity, keeping evil away from men and ancestors.
Purnama or Full Moon, Full moon Ceremony of Bali's Hindus worshiping and doing appeal to Sang Hyang Chandra in order to meld the dirt of sin/mala ever done either deliberately or not deliberately, so in return clean soul and mind as readily. At the time of full moon are believed by Hindus in Bali is a good day to do a cleanse himself in full because the inner birth coincide with meditation of Sang Hyang Candra pray for the remission of sins to foundries and Hyang Widhi (God Almighty).
