People have to wait in queue before get the turn to pray as many people from all over Bali attending this ceremony. We spent some time observing the crowd and the ceremony before continuing our trip to Sukawati art market. After Sukawati we drive up to Bedugul area to see Temple of Lake Bratan. As it was one day after Kuningan (Manis Kuningan),a holiday time, we noticed many local Balinese people visited the area. Not to pray but for sightseeing and fishing with their family or girlfriend.

We had our late lunch at near by Muslim restaurant before drive down to Tanah Lot. In Tanah Lot we saw many people doing pray even though the temple anniversary of this temple would be held in the next few days. However, the temple has been decorated with penjor, flag and umbrellas. We end the day with a good sunset here.

Click here to see pictures of this day.

After finishing my prayer at the my family temple, I drove to Buitan, near Candidasa, to meet my guest for a day tour. Our first stop was Bat Cave temple. As we expected there are many local people attending Galungan ceremonies at the temple. There are families, couple, and groups of friends. There were from many different part of Bali, came to pray to this one of Bali’s essential temple. They all came dress in colorful temple’s outfits. The ladies carried basket of offering on their head.

Feel enough observing the cultural scenes at Bat Cave temple , we continue our cultural adventure to Panglipuran village. Penjor are placed and lineup very nicely in front of each house gate at this traditional village. Penjor is decorate bamboo pole that has shape like dragon of rice plantation. Balinese people considered as an offering as well as decoration that become the symbol of the universe.

We visited a family compound. Their family temple were decorated with colorful clothes and coconut leaves.. Many offering were placed in temple’s shrines and other building in the compound. The family just finish doing the pray when we arrived. We then joined them to go to their village temple to do another praying.

At the village temple, many villagers have gathered. Offerings were placed in the altar at front. Men were playing the musical instruments. Kid playing around happily while most people wait patiently for the pray to be started. We did not stay until the ceremonies finish as we were getting hungry.

We then drive to Lake Batur to have our lunch at floating restaurant by the side of the lake. We enjoyed nice view of Mount Batur and Mount Abang while having our lunch.

After lunch we drove down to Ubud. Before reaching the famous rice terrace north of Ubud, there was a little traffic jam. There was a ceremonial parade by the villagers. The parade was art of Galungan celebration. The villagers bring their holly Barong and Rangda, both are the symbol of God, walking around their village along with traditional music of gamelan and colorful umbrellas and flags. Each family put offering in front of their house as the parade passed by. A parade to spiritually cleanse the village and its people.

We made a quick stop at the beautiful rice terraces before made a visit to moneky foret in Ubud. After having fun with the monkeys we headed back to Buitan. On the way back, we still noticed many people wearing their temple outfits on the road. We also passed by several smaller parades.

Click here to see some photos of this day

Penataran Lempuyang Temple is the first and the bottom complex of the Lempuyang Temple. All symbols of God from other complexes will be brought here during the temple anniversary ceremony. The whole temple complex of Lempuyang is one of the important temples in Balinese cosmology. It is located in the East side and become the holly residence of God Indra.

Our hike is continued by following the small asphalt road. It was cloudy but not rain yet. While walking I made chat with a family of four, mother father and two teen chidren. They come from Singaraja, north Bali, and that day is their second day of tirta yatra. On the first day they went to Silayukti Temple in Padangbay and stay overnight there. By doing tirta yatra make them feel relax after the busy daily modern life. At the end of the asphalt road, there is the next complex, Telaga Mas. The complex is the holly purification place where a small water spring is located. The complex itself just consists of a small non roof shrine and a small platform for priest. There is no wall surrounding. We held a prayer to spiritually cleanse ourselves before continuing to more holly complex above.

Leaving Telaga Mas, we started to walk up on the cemented steps. Some people said, there are about 1800 steps here until the top part. I never bother to count it even though I came several times. I admired the spirit of an old lady I met on the walk. She left the rest of her family, her children and grandchildren, far behind her. I asked her how many times she been to the temple. This is her first time and maybe her last time, so she is very motivated. She also mentioned that her children generation has been spoilt by ‘modern food’ that makes them much weaker than her generation whom eat directly from the nature. I take a rest a while where we saw the sign of Lempuyang Madya complex. It is half away to the top. We did not go to the complex. The complex is a clan temple of certain families in Bali.

After getting back our breath, we continue the hike. I met other family. They came here to do ‘memendak’ ceremony. A ceremony held after cremation ceremony. A simple symbol of ancestral spirit is carried by a lady. After the cremation the ancestor spirit are consider holly. The spirit then needs to be ‘invited’ from several important temples in Bali to come to their family temple. Lempuyang temple is one of the temple use for the purpose. It was start to rain when we getting close to Pasar Agung complex. The complex consists of a shrine and a 5m by 5m roofed building and no wall. The building cannot accommodate most people who came that day. While waiting our turn we take a shade at some small warungs nearby. The rain gets very hard and we get wet anyway even we tried to squeeze our selves in the tiny warung. However, the sound of rain mixed with the sound holly song from some ladies then break by the sound of priest bell motivated us not to stop here. After finish our pray, we put our rain coats and start hike again on the pouring rain. For some while, there are no steps but rather flat stone path amongst the ‘pandanous’ plan. We saw man just lost a basket of offering after get grab by the monkeys. He didn’t look mad but patiently wait the monkeys emptying his basket.

‘Durung rauh ring Luhur sampun katur driki’ he said while smile at me. Mean, ‘Not yet arrive in the top but already ‘offered here’ . We walk up together with his empty basket. We saw a father carried his 6 year old boys on his next. The boy look tired but not complaining. Finally, we reach the top. We take a rest a while in the small wantilan building, located outside of Pura Luhur Lempuyang. The top complex in the top of Lempuyang Mountain.

The inside complex consist of several Padma Shrines, a welcoming building, bale pewedan (priest building) and several holly bamboo trees. The rain stop as we start our pray. The Gayatri mantram sang smooth amongst the gentle ring of priest bell. The calling sound then sends away by the cold breeze. Send it away from the top of Lempuyang to the misty fog above. I am sure with all the effort and sincere of the people here, the called would be picked up by Him.

BUDA is similar to Wednesday, come once in seven days. Soma = Monday, Anggara = Tuesday, Buda= Wednesday etc.

WAGE is coming from Panca (five) Wara, one similar day comes every five days. There are Kliwon, Umanis, Poing, Pon, Wage in this circle. Thus Wage is come every five days.

UKIR is the name for third week in Pawukon (derive from WUKU literally mean week). There are 30 name of weeks ( wuku ). Those wuku are Sinta, Landep, Ukir, Kulantir,………..and end by Watugunung. Each wuku length for seven days. 30 times 7 days become 210 days. Therefore my Balinese birthday comes every 210 days. This Balinese birthday we call it ‘oton’. We do not normally count or say the number of oton we have, after the first seven oton. I am about 62 oton now if we want to say that, as I am 31 year old now based on Gregorian calendar.

When I get home that evening from touring, I saw a basket full of offering lies on the head side of my bed. On the offering, I notice there were some ‘canang sari’, -regular daily offering, on the top, some ‘tumpeng’,-mountain shaped rice, and some other coconut leaves cut in certain ways which I do not really know. What attract me the most are the fried chickens, and mangoes on it. This would be my birthday cake after I pray.

I asked my mother either it is time for me to pray as I finished bathing and put my temple dress. She said no, and asked me to get ‘tirta’,-holly water first, from my main family temple. We went there together and bring another basket of offering with a glass of clean water in it. My mother put the basket in the altar, put incense on it and start ‘ngayabin’. She took some piece of flower on her hand then sprinkles the water into the offering while silently says her wish to our ancestor God to bless the water so it can be use for my birthday prayer. She told me to pray afterward.

We brought the blessed water back to the room and put it on the offering. I lit an incense and start praying by sitting on the bed facing the offering. My mother told me to pray focus to the ancestral spirit that reincarnate in me, so I can be given a good guidance. My mother then asked me to ‘natab’ I put two my hand in front of my chest and move it toward and backward from the offering to my body. After that I took the holly water, sprinkle some in my head and face then drink them. It is party time after that. But I was a silence party, no happy birthday song, no drink, no presents. I ate the chicken, rice and mangoes on the offering. By tradition my mother cannot eat them as she is older then me. If my younger brother at home, he will help me to eat them.

Afterall, Balinese birthday is not a party. It is day to remember that there is spirit inside me that need to be taking care off by do good deed so it can direct me to the right way.

Around noon time, one day before the actuall anniversary ceremony, young boys and teenagers start coming to the temple. Each of them brings small curvy bamboo decorated with palm and other leaves. Its small ‘penjors’. Each of this young boys put heavy make up or heavy paint on their faces, bodies and hair. Some of them look scary, some look funny. Some of them paint the whole bodies so they look like white tigers, one become ‘Friday the 13th devil, one become one eye parrot, one become ninja and many more. It look like they go to underground music concert instead going to religious event. A side of that they still wearing sarong, sash and traditional headdress. They were some young girls joining but they were not do the heavy make up. See the picture here.

Once they arrive at the temple, each of them were given small pack of food consist of rice and some vegetable, wrapped in banana leave. This is ‘pica cenik’-small blessed gift. All kids happily eat them. After every boy that would join the event in the temple, they were asked to gather and make groups of five to ten people. Each group sitting in circle on temple ground The older villagers give each group banana leaves and the put it inside the circle. Some kids were not patient to get the next food to come. After being blessed the ‘pica gede’ finally distributed to each group. The ‘Pica Gede’ – big blessed gift consist of rice, lawar –mix vegetables, pork sate. The foods have been prepared together by men of the village in the morning. The foods put in the middle of the circle of each group. They then eat the food together by hand. I think it is a teaching to share for the kids. Not for long, each group finishes their food. They then rushing get their small ‘penjor’ and hurry to the road. They parade around the village and do yelling and screaming now and then. A group of older kids , also in funky make up , accompany the parade with ‘bleganjur’ traditional music.

The parade stops in every village temple that they pass. They pray in each of them and continue walking. The parade last for about two hours until they get back to the starting temple. The kids look tired after 4km of walk. No much of yelling or screaming anymore. Their demonic make up start to run out by their sweat. I think the demonic forces have been tame

The house of the groom is about 2 km from the bride house. The couple decided to cover the distance on foot instead of by car, like the old days. This day many wedding couple would decided to go on car especially when they have to wear the ‘heavy’ wedding outfits and have to walk on the sun.

The walk was not only one way but it was four times 2 km. In the morning the groom with his family walk to the bride house to pick up her. They then walked back to the groom house to do the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony they walk back again to the bride house to do a rite call ‘mepejati’. A rite that become a symbol to ‘take out’ the bride from her original family root as she would be part of her husband family root after the wedding. The last walk was return to the groom house where friends has been waiting for reception party.

The walk was worthed though. At least for me. I can make the classic picture of the wedding walk. Please see their picture here

We started the photo shooting from the bride house. This day, the groom family will be coming to the bridge house, pick up the bride and bring it to the groom house to do the wedding ceremony. There would also several step of ritual would be done in the bride house before. It took about an hour for the bride to do the make and put on the heavy hair dress and colorful Balinese outfits. The groom and the family come on time. A formal meeting between two families is done after a welcome drink given. The meeting was run smooth and the bride family agrees to let their daughter to merry the groom as it was decided on previous meeting. So far the process was normal. Now, it is time for the family to call the bride to join the meeting. During the meeting the bride was staying in inside the room.

The procession to call the bride to go out from the room was the first unique event. One man is appointed (on behalf of the groom) to sing a very touchy and interesting song to call the bride. On the other side of the door, an appointed lady (on behalf of the bride) replies the calling song with very loving song. After several time singing back and forth, they get an agreement. They let the door open and the groom went in inside and take the bride out. Locally this procession is called ‘ngungkab lawang’ literally mean ‘open the door.

The bride went out but we cannot see her faces as it was covered by a piece of semi transparent textile. Another unique part of this weeding. The ritual proceeds. It is time for the bride to say good bye to her family especially her mother. A lady sing a very sad song act as the bride to ask forgiveness and good bye to her family. A sad situation arouse. When the bride ask to say good bye by her self, the silence sad was explode. She was crying deeply and followed by her mother. Only few words come out from her. It must be hard time for her to realize that she had to leave her family and have to join the new family of her husband. The sad situation was ended when a bride family member giving some married advice to the newly couple in a funny way.

The ritual proceed by going to the family temple to do ‘good bye’ prayer. The bride and groom were carried out on hand by four men to the temple. Another uniqueness. The transparent textile that covering the bride was open by the groom before the praying. After the prayer finish then the groom family with the bridge drive back to Buleleng. It was followed by the bridge family afterward. The ceremony in groom family kind of normal but still interesting to see.

Please see the picture here.

My village does the Melasti three days before the New Year. We depart very early in the morning in order to avoid the heat in the beach. Once we arrive in Lembeng beach (just north east of Sanur Beach), there were already many other villages held similar ceremony. Some of them even finish already. Traffic jam cannot be avoided. We need to wait a while before we can get space to place all of our sacred symbols. Below are some pictures I took before and after the praying. <--more!-->

The ceremony in the beach last about less then two hours. Another traffic jam we have to deal with on the way back. When we get back to the village, all the sacred symbols were placed in one of our village temple (Pura Desa). Another worship would be done that evening. I was always curious to see Melasti ceremony in other part of Bali, so that afternoon I went to Seseh Beach (close to Tanah Lot) to see it and trying to take some pictures. Wishing to get sunset as the background. But I was not that lucky. It was cloud and a bit of rain. However, below are some pictures I managed to take while holding umbrella.

The next day I met Margaret and Maorin to do a tour and they would like to attend a Melasti ceremony. I decided to bring them to Ketewel beach in which I knew from before there would be one held there. Although, after a quite long traffic jam we managed to get there in time as the procession that we want to see also cannot get through the traffic. In order to get the destination beach, the procession needs to cross a shallow river so did we. Our sarong gets wet but it was interesting scene after all.