BALI to celebrate Galungan and Kuningan
July 15 & July 25, 2015
Galungan is a Balinese holiday that occurs every 210
days and lasts for 10 days. Kuningan is the last day of the holiday. Galungan
means "When the Dharma is winning." During this holiday the Balinese
gods visit the Earth and leave on Kuningan.
Occurring once in every 210 days in the pawukon
(Balinese cycle of days), Galungan marks the beginning of the most important
recurring religious ceremony that is celebrated by all Balinese. During the
Galungan period the deified ancestors of the family descend to their former
homes. They must be suitably entertained and welcomed, and prayers and
offerings must be made for them. Those families who have ancestors that have
not yet been cremated, but are still buried in the village cemetery, must make
offerings at the graves.
Although Galungan falls on a Wednesday, most Balinese
will begin their Galungan 'holiday' the day before, where the family is seen to
be busily preparing offerings and cooking for the next day. While the women of
the household have been busy for days before creating beautifully woven
'banten' (offerings made from young coconut fronds), the men of our village
usually wake up well before dawn to join with their neighbours to slaughter a
pig unlucky enough to be chosen to help celebrate this occasion. Then the
finely diced pork is mashed to a pulp with a grinding stone, and moulded onto
sate sticks that have been already prepared by whittling small sticks of
bamboo. Chickens may also be chosen from the collection of free-range chickens
that roam around the house compound. Delicate combinations of various
vegetables, herbs and spices are also prepared by the men to make up a
selection of 'lawar' dishes. While much of this cooking is for use in the
offerings to be made at the family temple, by mid-morning, once all the cooking
is done, it is time for the first of a series of satisfying feasts from what
has been prepared. While the women continue to be kept busy with the
preparations of the many offerings to be made at the family temple on the day
of Galungan, the men also have another job to do this day, once the cooking is
finished. A long bamboo pole, or 'penjor', is made to decorate the entrance to
the family compound. By late Tuesday afternoon all over Bali the visitor can
see these decorative poles creating a very festive atmosphere in the street
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