Bali Special Ceremony.

TEMPLE CEREMONY , or " ODALAN ".

Every Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or " Odalan ", every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holyday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day etc.
The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is considered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion.
The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, slang’s, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines.
In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the "umbul-umbul", long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up "Penjor", long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

The offerings in areas are as high as the carriers. These offerings are put in front of the shrine where the owners want to worship. A priest officiates and after he has recited his prayers he sprinkles holy water on the offerings and the people, blessing them in this way. For the people the ceremony is over and they carry their offering back home and have a feast later. Only a small tray with petals of flowers is left behind.
People spend the whole night in the temple. To entertain them or to keep them awake there are dance performances, free everyone to see.

Other Temple Ceremony
Saraswati Day On August 1st, 2009, Hindu's followers in Bali celebrate Saraswati Day, the day to worship God in his manifestation as the master of all knowledge, every six moths which's based on Balinese calendar, called pawukon on Saniscara Umanis Watugunung. This is a time to give their great honor to the knowledge. Balinese Hindu believes that knowledge is an essential medium to achieve the goal of life as a human being. Saraswati Day is celebrated to honor God as source of the knowledge. God, in this particular celebration, is manifested as Saraswati Dewi, Goddess Saraswati.
Nyepi Day On March 26th, 2009, Hindu's followers in Bali celebrate Nyepi. Day, The first day of the new year is, in Bali, called “ Nyepi”, which means quiet. No one is allowed to leave the compound; one does not work on that day; no fire is allowed and people may not smoke. People are supposed to spend them quietly at home and meditate. Food for that is cooked the night before. People sleep in the dark, day because no light is allowed. And before nyepi called "Pengerupukan" so all the Village in Bali make ogoh- ogoh. The second day of the new year is called “Ngembak api” ; it means that people are allowed to make fire on this day, but people do not work yet.
Pagerwesi Day On August 5th, 2009, Hindu's followers in Bali celebrate Pagerwesi Day, Feast day of Pagarwesi Day fall on my Budha Keliwon of Sinta. In holy day calendar in Bali, today is day to 5 from with refer doing important feast day of Christmas. Today is Hyang Pramesti Teacher payogan, accompanied by all Deity and of Pitara, for the shake of prosperity of world with all its contents and for the shake of its life all creature. At that moment people shall semadhi ayoga, namely set a mind at rest and also show to curtsey fore bhakti of Ida the Hyang Widhi.
Cremation Ceremony Bali is famous for it is cremation. A cremation in Bali is something worth seeing and it is a very joyous occasion. Sooner or later every Balinese is cremated. A cremation is very costly. There are so many offerings involved; a cremation tower has to be built; a sarcophagus in the form of a "Lembu", bull, "Singga", Lion, or a "Gajah mina", fish body with an elephant head, has to be carved. Also the hundred of people who come to help have to be entertained with food, cigarettes and other things The tower is a means to carry the body to the cemetery and the sarcophagus is where the corpse is burned. They are not really an essential part of any cremation and so a cremation can do without them.
Galungan and Kuningan Day Galungan - this year falling on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009, begins a 10 day celebration of fundamental importance on the Bali Hindu calendar and a particularly interesting time for visitors to be on the most spiritual of islands. every six months which's based on Balinese calendar, called pawukon on Budha Kliwon Dunggulan. Marking the beginning of a window lasting ten days, Galungan and Kuningan is the period when the spirits of deceased ancestors descend to earth to once again be among their families.
Bali Art Festival On June 13th- July 11th 2009, Bali Art Festival to do, under the initiative of Governor of Bali, since 1978, annual Bali art festival taken place from the middle of June until July lasting for one month, the main aim of the festival is preserving the art and culture of Bali, located in Denpasar Bali - Indonesia. There are varieties of master piece of arts from all regencies in Bali to be presented in that festival such as: traditional music’s, dances, and many others handicraft activities.