The Balinese Temple Celebrations

The dedication or inauguration day of a temple is considered its birth day and the celebration always takes place on the same day if the “Wuku” or 210 days calender is used. When new moon or full moon is used then celebration always happen on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ.  The religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temples celebrating for three days while the celebration  of Besakih, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it last for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion. The celebration is very colorful. The shrines are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes painted brocade; salangs, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrines.
In front of the shrines are placed red, white or black umberellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines. In front of important shrines one sees, besides these umbrellas spears, tridents and other weapons, the “umbul-umbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holinesss. In fron of the temple gate people put up “penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully with ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. These “penjors” give the place a very festive look.
Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colourful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinda of fruits and coloured cakes, to the temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which they carry their load on their heads.

The offerings in some areas are high as the carriers. These offerings are put in front of the shrines where the owners want to worship. A priest officiates and after he has recited his prayers he sprinkles holy water on the offerings and the people, bleassing them in this way. For the people the ceremony is over and they carry their offerings back home and have feast later. Only a small tray with petals of flowers is left behind.

In the evening the ceremonies continues with “pendet” dances or rejang dances. This is done in Sukawati. These pendet or rejang dances are done by young girls, led by the priests and elderly women, assistants to the temple priests.

In most cases on the anniversary day before the ceremony begins the deities are taken to a holy spring for a cleansing bath. In a beautiful and colorful procession “pratima” carved wooden animals, seats of Gods, are carried by colorfully dressed girls to the springs. At the head of the procession boys walk with the paraphernalia of Holiness, such as spears, flags and umbul-umbul, followed by girls carrying offerings.
Then come the girls with the “pratima”. The procession is closed by the musicians who make the procession a joyous affair.
Pratima are carved animals, all kinds of animals, which are the mounts, seats, of the gods. Sometimes one sees a statuette or two statuette perched on them. These statuettes represent the Gods. The Balinese say that the gods have a bath, a cleansing bath, “masucian” in Balinese.

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