Galungan, Kuningan and Nyepi day (the day of silence)
For the last 2 weeks or more, the normally laidback attitude of the Balinese people has been infiltrated with an exceptionally large number of offerings, ceremonies and preparation. The reason for this is mainly to do with the complex nature of the Balinese calendar, which I have discovered not only follows the gregorian calendar that we all know, but two other systems. One is the pawukon ritual calendar, a 210 day yearly cycle brought over from Java in the 14th century, and the other is sasih, which originates from India. Both of these differing calendars are of equal importance in determining and defining when ceremonies will take place and which kind of offerings should be made.
It has been many years then, that two of the most important ceremonies in the Balinese Hindu calendar(s) Galungan and Nyepi day, have fallen so close together. With each big ´special´ ceremony, comes days of preparation and special offerings beforehand, and further duties and requirements in the days after. Essentially, this means that we have been witness to countless processions, theatrical performances, Gamelan music intertwined with modern pop music blaring from loudspeakers, numerous days of school holidays (excluding my Muslim school and our regular teaching in the orphanage), colourful street decorations, abundant offerings, and the vast majority of people sitting atop their motorbikes wearing traditional Balinese dress. It is no small wonder that the whole of Bali is breathing a sigh of relief that normality has returned once again. I will try as best I can to set out the two festivals, and all they involved.
Galungan occurs every 210 days (according to Wikipedia), however I have been told by others in Klungkung that it is every 6 months. It means ¨when the dharma is winning¨, and is a time in which the Balinese gods descend to earth for 10 days, the last day taking the name of Kuningan. 5 days before Galungan day there are daily requirements and preparations to be made. One of these pre-Galungan days, for instance, is one for prayer and reflection. I would not have noticed this had it not been for the fact that another of the volunteers got a puncture in her front tyre, and we found great difficulty in finding a mechanic or garage that was open on one of the 5 days before Galungan day.
What was much more visible to the ignorant and newly arrived visitor, were the huge bamboo canes or Penjor which were erected on the sides of the streets, with immaculate and impressive decorative bamboo weavings dangling from them. These bamboo poles reach 10 feet or more at times, a sight which became almost comical, as well as dangerous, when you saw them being transported individually on the shoulder of one man riding his motorbike and circling a roundabout…
The Penjor lining the streets help to create a fantastic festive atmosphere, but the day of Galungan itself is not by any means the day to relax entirely. I was on a day trip that day with another volunteer and some teachers from one of my schools, and for the entire morning we saw only droves of people walking on the edge of the road. Women alone, or five unit families, but always carrying baskets, bundles or sackfulls of offerings perched on their heads, en route to their local temple or central crossing.
It also seems I was wrong about the lack of a bar in Klungkung, because after 2 nights of curiosity at the music pumping from massive speakers along the road, we decided to go and investigate the possibility of a ´party´. It turned out that a makeshift ´Bajar´ tent had been set up across from one of the temples, and just as our group of seven white uneasy foreigners were about to turn back after realising we were the only ones not wearing sarongs and Balinese costume, we were beckoned over and reassured that we were welcome to enter the bar. Sipping beer and chatting to the waiters, we kept on looking at each other in slight amazement, joking that we had found Klungkungs night life. All jokes aside though, we had a great night which included a ´shout out´ from the DJ, and a live rendition of one of our song requests ´stand by me´ as a very special treat. We even went back the next night, as it was also the final night the ´bar´ would be open around the Galungan holiday.
Between Galungan and Kuningan this year, however, was also when a very different festival fell, Hindu new year, or Nyepi day. Also called ´day of silence´, Nyepi day is anything but fireworks and street parties, it is a day of meditation and literally complete silence. Balinese Hindu´s are not allowed to travel (hence must remain in their homes and not wander or drive on the streets), light fire (including electrical light or electricity in general), work (including cleaning or cooking), speak (though no all follow this condition) and can eat only uncooked food from 6am on Nyepi day until 6am the following morning.
Bali is unique in this way, as the entire island shuts down for Nyepi day. Those who are not Hindu must still adhere to the restrictions in not leaving their home, (or in the case of tourists, their hotel), Denpasar airport is also closed, and lights switched off (at least for us on the top floor of Panti Asuhan in a minimal tourist location in Bali).
It was the lazy day off you had always planned to give yourself, but now forced upon you against your will. The great thing was, the excuse for doing nothing for an entire day was because it was the day for doing nothing, and nothing could, in fact, be done about out it : )
For one day then, we witnessed a place deserted, with only the noises of barking dogs, roosters, pigs and Toke (geckos) to break the continuous hush. That night, with the stars as bright as ever without the lights around us, I lay on my back looking up at them and soaked up the peacefulness and the stillness. It is pretty incredible how an entire island can still adhere to this mandatory day of quiet with so little argument. I hope, for one, that this isn´t forced to change, whether because of increased tourism or globalisation. As one friend said through an sms that night, ¨Amazing isn´t it? to see that the island can actually sleep for one day.¨ I somehow couldn´t imagine Glasgow, Leiden or Amsterdam being able to do the same..
The days before Nyepi day were also filled with ceremony, holy days, and abundant offerings. One ceremony included a huge procession starting from Besahki, Bali´s biggest and oldest temple set at the foot of Gunung Agung, and continuing on a 17+ kilometre trip to the beach, where the effigies of deities that had been carried on shoulders for the entire distance would be burnt and carried to the sea. The procession would cross the main street in Klungkung, and along with the rest of the town we waited on the side of the road.
When the procession did eventually pass us, about 1 ½ hours later, it was a colourful, confusing, rush of people carrying exquisitely decorated shrines, some more massive than others. the procession was headed up by a priest or holy man who sprinkled water on those at the side of the road. From then on, we helplessly followed the directions of the locals who instructed us when to sit down and when we could stand, depending on the deity that was going to pass. It was all over pretty fast, and despite the wait, it was impressive to see so many of the Balinese people out in force, all wearing traditional dress, and on an intense trek, even without the weight many of them carried on their shoulders.
The evenings have quietened down now, the Gamelan music that tinkled away late into the night alongside the slightly screechy loudspeaker voice emitting lines of sanskrit in dramatic tones has also become much less frequent. The bizarre mixture that all these noises, intertwined with the booming pop music and call to prayer, means that my ears are somewhat relieved to hear no more of what i called the ‘Gamelan remix’.
Next post I´ll tell you of my trips and wanders outside of the borders of Klungkung.
Until then my friends.. Rx
