As we know, Bali has plenty of ceremonies such as Nyepi (day of silent) ceremony,Saraswati Ceremony,Pagerwesi Ceremony, Tumpek Landep, Tumpek Kandang Ceremony, Ngotonin Ceremony, and many more. Basically all the ceremonies in Bali are grouped into five groups call Panca Yadnya / five ritual; ceremonies dedicated to the God, ceremonies dedicated to natural elements, ceremonies dedicated to the human beings, ceremonies dedicate to the ancestors, and ceremonies dedicated to the Rsi persons who have spread the Hindu Religion. In this article I would like to write about Galungan and Kuningan Day Ceremonis. Galungan Day and Kuningan Day ceremonies are ceremonies dedicated to the God (Sang Hyang Widi). Galungan and Kuningan ceremonies occur every 210 days ,preceded by Galungan Day and Kuningan ceremony will be in another ten days, Galungan (means the winning of Dharma/goodness) will fall on Buda Kliwon Dunggulan , Balinese Calendar. Here are the activities related to Galungan Day in Bali:
- Three day before Galungan Day, the men set up the equipment associated with Galungan Ceremony such as bamboo, young coconut leaves and various kinds of flowers, material for making offering, while the women prepare various kinds of fruits.
- Two days before Galungan Day, the men decorate the family temple with white and yellow cloths which means the symbol of purity, and black white cloths (looks like chess board colors) which means the symbol of harmony, while the women very busy make various kinds of cakes for offering.
- A day before Galungan Day, early morning the men join with their neighbors to slaughter a pig, than cook any types of Balinese dishes: lawar, komoh, serapah, kuwah balung, sate lilit, jukut ares, tum bungkil (I will write about these kind of Balinese dishes on other occasions) and grill some chickens for the offering, at noon the men make a long bamboo pole or “Penjor” to decorate the entrance of family compound. By late afternoon a day before Galungan Day, all over Bali decorated by penjor creating a very festive atmosphere in the street. While the women of the household have been busy for days creating beautifully woven ‘banten’ (offerings made from young coconut leaves),
- On Wednesday, the day of Galungan Day, all part of family pray at family temples and other village temples. On this special day most Balinese will try to return to their own ancestral home at some stage during the day, even if they work in another part of the island. This is a very special day for families, where offerings are made to God and to the family ancestors who have come back to rest at this time in their family temple. As well as the family temple, visits are made to the village temple with offerings as well, and to the homes of other families who may have helped the family in some way over the past six months.
- A day after Galungan Day, is a time for a holiday, visiting friends, picnic to beach or just chilling with family, and be ready to welcome the Kuningan Day in the next nine days. Every day is holiday in Bali, lol
Happy Galungan Day to who celebrate it, thanks for reading I hope this article will be useful for all of us and for the world. Love <tom>.