Bali Festivals

Festivals are fascinating features in the social landscape of Bali adding add colour and unique character to the island.  They are also extremely important fixtures in the lives of the Balinese. It is always a nice to know when and what the major holidays and festivals or Bali are, if for no other reason than to plan your trip around them (especially if you are interested in visiting a particular area during a festival) or so you can avoid them..

Festivals and holidays in Bali were determined by the calendars of the Balinese from antiquity.  The major events in the life of a Balinese occur on fixed dates.  The strongly Hindu-influenced  Balinese believe in annual cycles and every six months of a Balinese’s life is a celebration of  life-cycle ceremonies from birth, through marriage and up to the ritual of utmost importance to the Balinese, that of funeral rites and cremation.  The Balinese use three types of calendars to measure the year: the Western Gregorian calendar and local Balinese calendars called the Wuku and the Saka.  The Wuku calendar is used to find out dates for festivals and has 10 different weeks, each from one to 10 days in length.  The Saka calendar is a lunar calendar that follows the Western calendar in terms of the length of the year at least.    Exact dates therefore may vary, but some major events do occur more or less around the same time each year.

Bali’s most important festival is the Galungan, held over 10 days from March 18th 2009.  It’s a celebration of the victory of Virtue (Dharma) over Evil (Adharma).  Held throughout the island, people dress in their finest clothes and decorate their doorways   by fitting a  ‘penjor’ on the right side of the entrance to every house.  A penjor is a tall bamboo pole  decorated with woven young coconut leaves, cakes, fruits and flowers.  It is believed that all the Balinese gods, including the supreme deity Sang yang Widi, descend to Earth for the festivities.  The last day of the 10-day festival is the most important day. Known as Kuningan, it is the climax of the Galungan and brings the holiday to a close. Kuningan is a day for prayer, and a special ritual ceremony is held for the spirits of the Balinese’s ancestors.  Just as the Galugan ends with a day of symbolic prayer, its beginning is marked by Pagerwesi – literally  ‘iron fence’ – and on Pagerwesi day every year, ceremonies and prayers are held to get iron-strong mental and spiritual defence in welcoming the Galungan holiday.

The Saka calendar has a major festival called Nyepi (also known as Icaka New year) which falls on the day after the new moon on the ninth month.  It is a day of total silence throughout the island and on Nyepi day, there is no activity – no traffic at all on the roads, no entertainments, very few shops open and no fires or lights can be lit. Great purification and sacrificial rites are held on the day prior to Nyepi in order to exorcise evil spirits from every corner of Bali. The Balinese also celebrate Saraswati, on August 1st 2009 and February 27th 2010.  This is devoted to the wise and beautiful goddess of knowledge, art and literature Dewi Saraswati.

There are of course a number of purely secular events as well as Muslim and Christian festivals that are also celebrated.  A quick run down includes:
JANUARY: New Year’s Festival – December 31st – January 1st. There are many festivals in the street and carnivals. New Year’s Day is usually less festive because people are “resting” from the party the night before.
FEBRUARY/ MARCH: Mawlid – Celebrates the birth of the prophet Mohammed. Street Processions are held and food and charity is given.
MARCH/APRIL: Icaka New Year (Nyepi) – No one leave their homes during this day. Travel, work and recreation are also forbidden to convince evil spirits that the island is deserted, making them leave.  Good Friday/Easter – Christians tend to celebrate this holiday right on the Friday before Easter, which is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring.
APRIL/MAY: Hari Raya Waisak – Celebrates the birth of Buddha. Date will vary because of the Buddhist calendar.
JUNE/ JULY: Bali Art Festival – Begins mid-June and lasts 30 days.  A great way to experience Bali’s culture as is the Kite Festival, where hundreds of kites can adorn the sky of Bali.
AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER: Indonesian Independence Day – August 17th.  Celebrates Indonesia’s Independence from the Dutch and Japanese.  Nusa Dua Festival – A nine-day festival celebrating Bali’s culture. Events include beach football, food and drink events and a bazaar.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: Idul Fitri (end of Ramadan) – Holy day in Muslim Culture.
NOVEMBER: Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) – Celebrated by Muslim Culture. A food sacrifice is made and shared with relatives and neighbours.
DECEMBER: Christmas Day – December 25th. – Celebrated by Christians on the island.

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