Six Balinese months later (210 days) and it is time for the Galungan celebration again. It is one of the three major Balinese holidays. It marks the start of a ten day period when the gods come down and take residence in temples. The ceremonies around Galungan include animal sacrifices and a profusion of offerings.
Every home and business places a decorated bamboo pole in the front on the side of the street. The curved bamboo pole represents Mount Agung, the large volcano that dominates the island. The previous Galungan was in February, shortly after we arrived, while we were still getting acclimated. We loved the transformation of Bali, as the whole island took on a festive air.
The day before Galungan. Shopping for decorations for the penjor.
Green School puts on a Galungan assembly the day before the start of Galungan. All the Westerners were told to wear Balinese ceremonial clothing to the assembly. I never have learned how to properly put on my sarong, so one of the male staff at the next door villa undid the botched job I had made of it and dressed me properly.
At the assembly, the Balinese teachers explained and demonstrated how to make offerings, decorate the penjor, and prepare the traditional food associated with the holiday. One of the local high priests presided over the occasion. We all had to sit on our knees on the floor (no one can sit higher than the priest). The priest asked for blessings from the gods and we were all doused with holy water and given and few kernels of rice to place on our foreheads and to eat. Alexa and Charlotte are now old hands at these rituals, now having participated in several ceremonies at school.
demonstrating traditional food preparation at the Galungan assembly at Green School
decorating the penjor
Since much of Bali shuts down for two or three days over Galungan, school was closed and Dewa was unavailable, we decided to go for an overnight to the Pan Pacific Resort on the beach in western Bali, about an hour and a half from our place. We had been to the Pan Pacific once before for a day trip with our friends Rebecca and Tom and their kids. This time, our friends Reinout and Pauline and their kids joined us the next day. We saw other Green School friends there as well, which made for a festive outing.
The hotel sits on the western coast next to Tanah Lot temple, one of the most important and beautiful temples in Bali. More importantly for the girls, the multi-level swimming pool has a long, twisting water slide that they went down countless times. They took some time out to look for shells along the beach and then we wandered over to Tanah Lot as the sun set.
village street decorated with penjors
playing on the rocks near Tanah Lot
priest assistants at Tanah Lot
Tanah Lot at sunset
the ridiculously picturesque view while eating breakfast buffet the next morning
On the way home the next evening, we were surprised to see some penjors lit up with small colored lights. "Christmas penjors!" the girls exclaimed. Throughout Bali penjors line the streets.
After Galungan, it is a common sight to see groups of kids playing traditional musical instruments going down the street making a little money by offering on-the-spot performances of the Barong dance. Two Barong dancers perform while covered by the Barong dragon costume, with one of the dancers animatedly moving the dragon mask. Charlotte is enchanted by these performances and rushes towards the entrance of whatever building we are in when she hears a Barong group approaching.
Barong group on the move
The day after Galungan is called Manis Galungan: Sweet Galungan. It is a day the Balinese spend visiting family. The girls were back in school. Putu mentioned that in the afternoon, at the nearby soccer field, greased betel nut poles would be set up and kids would try to scale the poles to fetch prizes attached at the top. Putu said it would be a lot of fun so I wandered over, the only Westerner in the large crowd. There were two poles, a tall one for the bigger kids, and a slightly shorter one for the little kids. Everyone had a good time watching the kids clamber over each other, muddy and slippery, trying to reach the top only to slide back down time after time. At last, one boy from each group managed to make it to the top, and tossed the prizes down to the ground.
young boys of Silungan trying to climb the greased pole
I recall your earlier photos of Tanah Lot, and I see why it would draw you back again!
ReplyDelete