It was with good fortune that our second trip to Bali this year coincided with the most important religious feast for Balinese Hindus, the
Galungan Festival. It's a celebration to honor the Creator of the universe and the spirits of their ancestors. They believe that this is the time of the year when spirits of ancestors visit the earth.
It's probably like All Soul's Day celebrated by Christians. Galungan festival, however, is more colorful and deeply rooted with religious rituals.
The day begins with Balinese folks preparing bountiful offerings of food and flowers for their ancestral spirits. You will see women carrying offerings of food piled up high on ornately gilded trays over their heads.
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| The central chamber |
The offerings are brought to the community temple where they are neatly arranged with the rest around a central chamber.
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Check out the prawns....
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| and the sausages! |
We decided to join in the celebration by going to a traditional village in Ubud, a town in central Bali. There we were greeted by a trove of natives on their way to the village temple.
Being there felt like watching an old movie about an enchanted island in the Pacific. I felt like I stepped back in time as I became part of a thousand year-old tradition. Except that, I was witnessing this event in the 21st century!
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| Older women on their way to the village temple with their offerings. |
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| Young Balinese girls in their traditional dress with their offerings. |
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| Most Balinese men wore white shirt with head dress called "udeng" to the ceremony. |
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| Even these young Balinese boys were very involved in the ceremony. |
Everyone in the village, every man, woman and child, all congregated towards the temple that day where the ceremony was to be performed. They entered the temple gate in batches. We watched them curiously as they jostled their way towards the center of this festivity.
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| Balinese worshipers entering the temple gate. |
Inside the temple gate, worshipers occupied their own space where they sat down for communal prayer. The ceremony proper lasted for less than 20 minutes. After which, another set of worshipers entered the sacred gates.
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| Praying inside the sacred grounds of the temple |
It's hard to describe how I felt witnessing a totally different religious belief. But I felt very blessed to have witnessed a unique culture and religion here in Bali, Indonesia.
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| Sunset at Tanah Lot Temple |
I guess it's what makes Bali a truly enchanting paradise!
Photos by:
Caloy and Marlo Roxas
September 8, 2012
4 comments:
What an amazing experience marlo!!!!!!!
What lovely photos and play of colors! Keep 'em coming, Partner!
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