Getting The Balinese Rites Of Passage Through The Holy Holiday In Bali

Rites of passage ease a soul along the cycle which runs from before birth to after death. A person’s oton is his or her birthdate on the Balinese calendar, and so occurs once every 210 days. A child’s first and third oton are usually lavish occasions. A toothfiling ceremony, in which the front teeth are filed even, marks the coming-of-age of an adolescent. A wedding ceremony takes place in the family home of the groom, where a high priest conducts prayers; a ritual bath is followed by a feast. A ritual cremation usually involves elaborate preparations by the community.

Certain Balinese holy days are calculated according to the complex 210-day pawukon calendar. This is made up of 30 seven-day wuku (weeks), along with nine other overlapping wewaran (cycles) of different lengths. The most common wewaran are the three-day “market” cycle, the five-day cycle and the seven-day cycle. Many festivals fall when these cycles cross.

Saraswati and Renewal of the Cycle: On the last day of the 210-day cycle, Saraswati, the goddess of learning, is worshipped. Books are honored with offerings laid on them and sprinkled with holy water. Children make offerings at school while adults bring gifts to healers and traditional teachers.

Banyu Penaruh: The first day of the 210-day cycle is one of ritual cleansing with holy water, usually at a spring temple or at the house of a high priest.

Pagerwesi: This is a day for spiritual strengthening; it is celebrated elaborately in North Bali with penjor and feasting as at Galungan. The name means literally “fence of iron”.

Tumpek: Once every 35 days, offerings are made to specific categories of valued things, such as metal objects, trees, books, musical instruments, livestock and wayang puppets; in modern Bali, motorcycles, cars, computers and refrigerators may be included. There are six Tumpek days in the 210-day calendrical cycle.

Galungan and Kuningan: Galungan occurs every 210 days, in the 11^th week of the cycle. This holiday celebrates the creation of the universe. A period of festivity culminates ten days later in Kuningan, the Balinese “All Saints’ Day”.

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