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Festivals and events are important features in the social landscape of Bali, and also permanent fixtures in the lives of the Balinese. These festivals and events are determined by the calendars of the Balinese from long ago.The major events in the life of a Balinese is believed to occur on fixed dates, which go according to the Balinese Calendar.
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Galungan
Bali's most important festival is the Galungan festival. It is a feast and festival which is held throughout the whole island and an annual event in the wuku year. It is believed that during this ten day period all Balinese gods, including Sanghyang Widi, the supreme deity, will descend to earth for the festivities.
Barongs prance from temple to temple and village to village in celebration of the Galungan with the gods.
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The Balinese use altogether three types of calendars for one year; one is the typical Western calendar, and the other two are local Balinese calendars, the saka and the wuku calendars.The saka calendar is a lunar calendar of Hindu origin, which closely follows the Western calendar in terms of the length of the year. With illustrations
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Nyepi
The saka calendar has a major festival called Nyepi, or the final day of the saka year. It falls on the day after the new moon on the ninth month. Nyepi is a celebrated holiday and the Balinese New Year called icaka New Year. It is a day of total silence throughout the island. Nyepi really is a celebration observed with total silence!On Nyepi day, there is totally no activity - no traffic at all on the roads, no amusement is held the whole day long. No fires also may be lit in observance of the Nyepi and great purification and sacrificial rites are held on the day prior to Nyepi in order to exorcise evil spirits from every corner of Bali. |
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