Galungan and Kuningan Day – Ride a scooter to see a unique tradition in Bali
Galungan Day is an important Holyday for Bali Hindu people which is celebrated in 10 series days and ended up with Kunginan Day. Galungan Day is a big and happy celebration for Balinese Hindu. While Galungan Holy Day, you will see a unique of Balinese tradition. The people connect with god by do offerings, create a unique Balinese food, dressed up in traditional clothes to visit the temple and their families.
What is Galungan Day?
Galungan Day is a Holy Day to celebrate the victory Dharma against Adharma (Goodness against Evil). Galungan is celebrated in every 210 days or every six months. Galungan takes 10 days of celebration which mark the time when ancestral spirit of deceased relatives visit the earth. The last day is called Kuningan Day when the ancestral leave the earth.
What Balinese Hindu people do when Galungan Day?
Galungan Holy Day is very important for Balinese Hindu people. They believes that on the days, the spirit of deceased relatives return to visit their former homes, and Balinese Hindu will responsible to be hospitable and welcoming to their past ancestors through doing various ritual such as making penjor (bamboo decorations), Ngelawang (Barong dance), offerings to ancestral spirits, and pray to the temples. Below are various rituals during Galungan Day
Penyekeban – 3 days before
Penyekeban means “the day to cover up. The people begin their preparations for Galungan by covered up green bananas in a huge clay pot to seed their ripening.
Penyajaan – 2 days before
On Penyajaan Day, Balinese Kitchens stay busy with women work together in groups to prepare traditional cakes and sweets or candy. They make these dishes from rice flour, coconut, and palm sugar. These treats will become a part of the offerings when Galungan Day. During Penyajaan day, the air smells sweet and earthy.
Penampahan – 1 day before
Penampahan is the day to prepare pork. That will used to make any Bali traditional food for offerings. Every men cook satae and lawar (a kind of spicy salad). By evening, every village streets are quieter, families have finished shopping, homes are clean and offerings are ready. The last preparation is making Penjor. It a bamboo pole which is decorated with coconut leaves, rice, and small ornaments. The island shifts from daily activity to spiritual focus.
Galungan day
Galungan Day is the climax of Galungan, the Balinese put on their finest traditional clothes to attend and do offerings at home shrines, family temples and another temples in their villages.
What is Offerings During Galungan?
There ritual started by families prepare small arrangements called Canang sari. Canang sari is made from woven palm-leaf trays, filled with flowers, betel leaves, rice, coins, incense, sweet and sometimes even ciggarete. each ingredients has a purpose. Betel leaves to Brahma, place flowers for Vishnu, incense to honor Shiva, rice to symbolize daily nourishment, and candy or cigarette as a personal touch, especially when making offerings to ancestors or to show selflessness.
Every meals made also put at the offering, such as: Satae, lawar, Jaje, several of fruits and others. The offerings are placed at doorsteps, roadside altars, home shrines, and family temples. Women walk with baskets of offerings on their heads to bring it to the temples. At every temples sound their gongs, bells, and mantras.
After doing offering, families will gather across generations to share special meals. These traditional meals are served on banana leaves. Families sit together on the floor mat, sharing food as a blessing and a celebration.
Barong appears on every street villages. Barong is a symbol of good spirit. It is mythology creature that represents a guardian spirit. Dancers and musicians lead it from house to house to ward off negativity and restore balance.
Manis Galungan – 1 day after
This day is dedicated for relaxed gatherings or spending time with family and visiting the extended families who live in different house place. This is the day for reconnecting with roots.
Kuningan – 10 days after
The last day of Galungan Day period where, the deceased spirits and ancestors leave their home and return. The Supreme God (Hindu deities including Sang Hyang Widi) also visits to give blessings to all the people on earth.
How is traffic during Galungan Day in Bali?
Traffic may busy in the morning but not as busy in normal day. During Galungan Day, school, bank, and public service may closed. This day traffic will be better, however traffic to get tourism site like at Garden Park will be bad as locals will visit them for family vacation. Rent a scooter is travel Bali on scooter when Day is the best choice to avoid bad traffic.
Is it good to travel Bali on scooter during Galungan Day?
Absolutely Yes, If you are visiting Bali during Galungan Day time, you will be able to see a lot of beautiful ceremonies and feel the spirit of the holiday. If you want, you might be able to join in the public temples and be a part of the celebration. By rent a scooter and ride scooter to travel Bali during Galungan Day, you can see more about Galungan tradition Day.
Get a chance to ride a scooter through villages, and you will see along the village street many beautiful penjor offerings hanging on the streets and all the music and celebration. Penjor is an obvious sign of Galungan celebration. Penjor is a Bamboo pole, decorated with coconut leaves, fruits, and other symbolic items. It symbolizes the sacredness of the biggest mount in Bali “Mount Agung”, the spiritual heart of Bali, and represents the flow of energy and life force through the universe.
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