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Religious events in Bali Island
08/10/2010
Travelling to Bali, you will see different cultures, pristine white sand beaches, humble people helping you out as you go along in your travel experiences, and endless happy festivities. If you haven't experience some of Bali Island's endless series of offerings, purification, processions, dances, and dozens of other religious rites that most Balinese devote their local lives to, then come forth to Bali and share it with your family. Although there are some non-religious events as well in Bali, in some particular months like July and October, you will have the chance to try the Negara bull race, or the rice harvesting festival which is of course dedicated to their offerings for rice god Dewi Sri.
And most of the festivities in Bali is consists of if not non-religious, there is also the religious festivals that are being flocked by many tourists and locals. Some of these are:
Odalan – which is about the anniversary of a temple's founding, which last a couple of days to a week. Temples then are beautifully decked with flowers, palm leaves, flags, colourful bamboo towers, and noisy parades. There is also a food offerings done for thanksgiving to Gods and prayers too.
Melasti – a festival with a religious feel as well, it is focus on the purification held before the day of Nyepi. On Melasti, villagers will dress in their finest and make their way to the sea or holy springs. Some of their traditional acts is to carry umbrellas, offerings, or flowers, and other fruits or sacred statues. The statues are blessed with water and oftentimes they butcher pigs and sacrificed in to their Gods.
Nyepi – this is the festival done as a sign that the new lunar year and usually falls during the spring equinox (sometime in mid March or late April). These day calls for quite moments in Bali, from tourist to the locals, everyone is asked or advised to observe the custom and stay inside their lodgings. This belief is to cast evil spirit from coming in the island.
Galungan – it is another festival related as well to religion. It is done during the eleventh week of the 210th day in the Balinese calendar, and it celebrates the creation of the world. This is the most important and most meaningful event in the Bali Island.
Kuningan – done ten days after the Galungan. The festival celebrates the end of the religious holiday seasons. This is held usually at the temple Tampa siring, and ancestors and gods are worshipped here.
Eka Dasa Rudra – it is the island's most important festival and is originally held every hundred years. It is now being revised to hold the festival more frequently and announced.
