In praise of God

Ceremonies for God are innumerable and varied, according to which manifestation that they honour. There are holy days that involve the entire island, as well as anniversaries or odalan for every individual temple, each on a specific and special day according to one of Bali's concurrent calendar systems. Apart from the Gregorian calendar there are two other calendars observed  simultaneously. The 210 days of the Pawukon Calendar are divided into six months of 35 days, thirty 7-day weeks which each have their own name. The Saka lunar calendar has a year of 12 or 13 lunar months, each of 29 or 30 days. Beginning and ending in the day of new moon, tilem, the month reaches its mid-peak at purnama, full moon. These months all have sanskrit names according to their numbers. Every 35 days is a Saturday known as Tumpek. On this day thanks is given to the Gods for a certain  benificence, with offering and prayer; for fruiting trees on Tumpek Uduh, domestic animal on Tumpek Kandang, music and dance on Tumpek Krulut, Wayang Puppet Theatre on Tumpek Wayang, and so on.

A specially important Dewa Yadnya rite of the Pawukon cycle occurs during the ten day Galungan-Kuningan holiday. This is a celebration of a great battle, by the Gods with evil forces, and their eventual victory, as told in ancient mythology. The deified ancestors return to their seats in each family temple, where they are lavished with offerings and entertainment. The entire island is decorated with tall arching bamboo penjor that line the roads in graceful array. Families celebrate the holy days by worship in their ancestral temples, and make the most of the Public holidays to take trips around the island and visit friends.

The Goddess of literature, Dewi Saraswati, is honoured on the last day of the Pawukon cycle. Those who possess books or palm. leaf lontar manuscripts make special offerings, and the school children place flowers and incense at the school temples.

The fourth day of the Pawukon year is a holy day known as Pagerwesi, literally translatable as "iron fence". This is another celebration of the ongoing conflict between good and evil, commemorating the victory of the former, a day for strengthening and protecting oneself to face the future.

The odalan is perhaps the most common and frequently celebrated Dewa Yadnya ritual. Every temple in Bali, and there are some 20,000 or more, has its special odalan anniversary celebrations, and a visit to an odalan is probably the best way in which to experience the beauty and mystique of Bali in its most concentrated form. A list of the most important odalan ceremonies can be found in the annual Calender of Events available from the Badung Tourist Promotion Board. For those wishing more detailed information there is always the local Balinese calendar, a virtual treasure trove of information, which follows the basic structure of the common Gregorian Calendar and lists odalan taking place at temples throughout Bali on each particular date, amongst other extremelyesoteric information on dewasa, propitious days for actions such as planting crops, eloping, paying bills, mating the pigs, to name just a few.

The odalan is generally a three-day affair, although some major ceremonies can go on for a week to ten days. At this time the temple comes alive with activities that go on round the clock as all members of the community take their share in the work of preparations involved in decorating the temple, making the offerings, and providing the large voluntary work force, priests and musicians with food.

Prayer sessions generally start in the early afternoon, and the roads are packed with processions and throngs of worshippers dressed in their most beautiful traditional clothes. Each family group comes and goes at their own convenience, and the temple is full of music and activity until late at night.

Visitors to an odalan should dress conservatively, and if not in traditional costume at least wear a temple sash as is required by custom. It is fascinating to watch the flow of people as the temple yard fills up and empties in waves of colour. The women place their offerings on the platform raised for that purpose, or in front of the officiating priest, who leads the family in prayer. Each individual receives the vital drops of holy water and blessed wija rice which is pressed on the forehead and temples. Then the women discreetly take back their baskets of fruit and cakes, having offered the sari essence to the Gods, leaving the flowers and small sesari coin donations behind, and the crowd disperses as yet another filters in.

The courtyards are a scene of much socialising. Crowds of youths stand around chatting and children run around delighting in the festive atmosphere. Entire impromptu markets set up around the temple gates selling food, clothing and toys. Sacred dances are often performed in the evening within the temple, and sometimes whole processions of visiting Barong and Rangda masks from nearby banjars or villages come to pay their respects. It is not unusual for trance dances to occur, in a ceremonial renewal of the, powers inherent in these magic creatures. Later on at night there is generally some wali, entertainment arranged in the form of a drama, ardja opera, or shadow puppet play that may last till the early hours of the morning.

Reverence for the after-life

A most important area, of Balinese ritual is that known as Pitra Yadnya, devoted to the veneration of the ancestors, which includes the all important funereal rites. Cremation is for Balinese the only means to ensure that the spirit may be released from its mortal remains so as to be reincarnated in another physical body.  Reincarnation is a process that can happen many times, until the soul finally reaches such an elevated state that it is able to attain moksa, or oneness with the Godhead. This process is governed. by Karma pala, the belief that one must sooner or later receive the benefit or punishment for good or bad actions during a lifetime. The nature of the reincarnated form. depends upon the purity of the spirit, a direct consequence of actions in the previous lifetime.

There is little woe and suffering associated with Balinese funereal rites, which are elaborate and extremely costly. A cremation is a joyous occasion, for it is a fulfillment of an obligation that is by no means easy to pay. Firstly it is very costly. Few people can afford. to cremate immediately, and frequently the family must bury their dead until such time as they can share costs in a mass cremation. The more wealthy families will sometimes take the lead in this case, to help those who cannot afford to hold an independent ceremony. If the dead are buried their remains may be exhumed after a period of waiting of anything up to several years. It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for those Balinese who are able to cremate their dead directly, and the personal loss of loved ones is somehow compensated by the fact that their souls may now pass on to the afterlife, leaving behind the suffering of this world. 

Until cremation preparations have been made, the body lies in state in a pavilion within the family compound. If it has been buried, then the remains are exhumed and kept in a special pavilion in the cemetery, or in some cases an effigy is made, the soul is called up from the cemetery, and the entire cremation carried out for this symbolic representation of the deceased. The body, or its representation, is carried to the ceremony in a tower that has tiers decorated to represent the levels within the universe. This wadah is supported by a bamboo frame which enables it to be carried by the members of the banjar in a great procession to the cemetery. A special bade or container is also constructed, within which the body will be burnt. this symbolic vessel of the soul on its last journey is generally in the shape of an animal, a bull or winged lion, as determined by the caste of the family. Visitors to Bali are usually quite taken aback by the wild excitement of funeral processions and the extravagant beauty of the towers and vessel,  all to be consumed by flames at the cemetery. This is the part of the ceremony which most people see, but few realize the weeks of preparations and great expense involved, and the ritual does not end at the burning. After the fire has subsided the ashes are collected and taken in a procession to the sea to be scattered on the waves along with many offerings as a purification of the newly released soul, which must undergo yet another ceremony before it is actually released on its journey to heaven. 

Another series of rituals follows during the next month, leading up to the nyekah ceremony, in which effigies of the spirit of the cremated relative are burned with prayer and offerings. The ashes are then placed in yellow coconuts, wrapped in white and placed in a small tower which is borne in procession to the sea. where they are once more scattered. The miniature mukur tower is discarded.

Life-cycle ceremonies

The life of a Balinese person is measured in a series of Manusa Yadnya, rituals, which commence before the baby is born and follow in stages up until marriage. These are generally held in the privacy of the family compound, but those who wish to witness this integral part of the Balinese culture should ask their travel agent, or the local Badung Tourist Promotion. Board. Most Balinese welcome the interest shown in their culture, and guests are generally welcome as long as they observe local etiquette and dress properly. A small gift is appropriate, and photographic documentation is always welcomed.

Rituals associated with pregnancy and birth are generally a private affair, concerning only intimate family, but the first major ceremonies for the baby, at 105 and 2 10 days axe generally occasions for a small party. The 210-day oton is the baby's "six-month" ceremony, usually the first time on which the infant is allowed to touch the ground, and often the time at which the child is named. The child is dressed in the finest attire and arrayed in gold or silver anklets, bracelets and a small necklace with an amulet to protect it from evil spirits. There is generally music and feasting.

Toothfiling is an important ceremony that all Balinese must undergo, either at puberty or prior to marriage. The filing of the front teeth is a symbolic removal of animal tendencies such as greed and aggression. It is often held at the same time as a wedding or cremation, in order to reduce costs, and generally all the children of one family will have their teeth filed in the same ceremony. A massive array of offerings are pre- pared, and the ceremony is presided over by a  pedanda or lay priest, depending upon the caste of the family. Each subject takes a turn in lying on a bed of luxurious brocades, surrounded by concerned members of the family, as the priest skillfully files down the rough edges of the front teeth. From time to time the patient is presented a mirror with which to monitor the progress, and the filings are spat into a yellow coconut, as the soothing strains of gender music fill the compound with melody.

Weddings are the obligation of the man's family, and range from a simple ritual in the family temple to long elaborate festivities with rituals presided over by a pedanda, sometimes even followed by a reception for friends and family, feasting and entertainment. The kidnapping of the bride, once common, is now illegal, but prearranged elopement is still. popular, as a relatively inexpensive way to get married. Marriages which are mutually arranged by both families are comparitively rare, as they involve long negotiations and expensive ceremonies in which both families must participate. The bride and groom are taken separately for a ritual bath, then dressed in the finest of gold-thread brocades. The man wears his family kris, and the girl is carefully made up with an elaborate hair style decorated with a crown of shimmering gold flowers. Rituals involve the symbolic tasks of their future life, the preparation of a miniature meal which the couple feed each other by hand, and they are tied together with a symbolic length of cotton thread. Together they pray in the famlily temple, and from that day on the bride becomes a member of her husband's clan, bound by duty to worship in the temples of his ancestors.

The exorcism of evil

Ceremonies for the removal or pacification of evil spirits, Bhuta Yadnya, play an important part in the Balinese spectrum of ritual. A great island-wide exorcism takes place on the eve of the Balinese Saka (lunar) year, the new moon of the ninth month, known as Tilem Kesanga.

A bustle of activities starts several days in advance, and great Melasti processions are held to escort the family and village pratimas to the sea, a nearby spring or river, for a spiritual clean- sing. The wooden statues which usually reside in the inner temple, and the great Barong, Rangda and Barong Landung masks which protect the village from evil through their magic powers, are decorated with flowers and escorted in long colourful processions, shielded by brightly coloured umbrellas. Melasti is a colourful spectacle, and in the last few days before this particular new moon the roads are packed around Sanur and Kuta especially, and it seems as if the entire island of Bali is headed in the same direction. Upon arrival the procession disbands, offerings axe presented, and after a brief prayer session holy water is distributed. 

On the days leading up to Tilem Kesanga the men of each village banjar have been. busy constructing a pantheon of ogoh-ogoh monsters which will be let loose upon the last eve of the year and escorted. around the vicinity m noisy processions that would strike fear in the hearts of the most dreadful evil spirits. The day begins with the placement of caru, demon-bait at the main crossroads and potentially haunted places within. the village. This is a complex offering including raw blood. and even animal sacrifices, placed with careful attention to symbolic colours and directions to ensure that the entire, village will be cleaned of evil. The priests conduct their ritual, then the offerings are bundled up and buried or thrown in the nearest river or sea. 

By dusk every family compound has been cleaned of devils by placement of miniature caru offerings splashed with arak and brem, and incense at every strategic point. The village kul-kul alarms begin to best with resounding regularity, and the monsters take to the streets, escorted by wild bands of youths bearing flaming torches and beating noisy gongs. The monstrous ogoh-ogoh are of every shape and size one could imagine. Giant dinosaurs, ugly fanged monsters, winged lions.... the repertoire is amazing, and some, have flashing lights in their eyes, animated private parts, even recorded roars that add to the general din and chaos. Around and around they go, in fearsome procession, till the early hours of the morning when they return to their villages to be torn apart and burnt.

The morning of Nyepi, Bali's Saka New Year, dawns 6n a silent world. A curfew lies over the entire island. Nyepi means silent, empty, and for one whole day the streets are deserted. Nobody is allowed to leave their compound, and people are not supposed to light fires, smoke, or cook. If any evil spirits have survived the previous night's wild events, they will thus be beguiled into thinking the island is deserted, and take flight. No lights may be used in the evening, for an entire night the island lies in darkness.

During the day of Nyepi no vehicles are allowed on the roads, not even tour buses, the only concession made to tourism being specially licensed transportation for transfers to and from the airport servicing international departures and arrivals. Hotels ask their guests to respect the local customs and remain within the grounds, and some provide special programmes.

Other Bhuta Yadnya rituals take place at odd times during the year, in purification or protection from disease, illness and spiritual uncleanliness. A regulax ceremony takes place each fifteen days at Kajeng Kliwon, a day considered to be particularly susceptible to evil, within each family home. In some villages the giant Barong Landung, take to the streets and perform. These tall puppets are about three meters in height, and the wearer looks through peep-holes in the stomach. There is a black male named Jero Gede, his wife Jero Luh, who has a startling white face, and sometimes they are accompanied by a couple of tall and clumsy children. In their role as devil exorcisors they make regular appearances, but they are supposed to be very temperamental, and on days when they refuse an outing no man can budge them.

Evil spirits, multiple and horrific in form, haunt the cemeteries and cross-roads. Witchcraft is practiced. by the leyaks, evil creatures with the ability to transform. themselves into animal form.

Whereas black magic is the realm of h beings, evil spirits are a personification of negative influences known as bhutas, and Kalas.  Almost all ceremonies involve the placation of these with the placement of little offerings on the ground, sprinkled with rice wine or palm liquor. On important occasions when the equilibrium of forces seems to be out of balance the caru offerings are required.

Exorcism of witches and devils is often carried out through the medium of drama. The Calonarang performance is devoted to this purpose, involving both the powerful Barong and Rangda masks. This is an enactment of an ancient tale from East Java about the widow Rangda who could not find a suitor for her daughter. She challenges the evil spirits and witches of the village to combat, and the story climaxes in a struggle of power as she overcomes the demons. In this role the evil Rangda does the village a service through the use of her black powers. A caru offering is needed to bold this performance, which is usually held in connection with the dedication of a new shrine or temple.

Wayang Kulit shadow puppet theatre is some- times held for a similar purpose, during which the dalang puppeteer challenges village witches to a duel of powers, ordering them to ieave and cease their evil trickery. Only particularly powerful dalangs will give this type of perfor- mance.

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