Buleleng Northern Lights

Pagerwesi in Buleleng
Self Reflection in Facing the Future

Each day has it’s own uniqueness and specific meanings which Balinese people believe is very determining in their life activities. During the year, Balinese religious red-letter days exist which bring good fortune like Galungan Holy Day ( Wednesday, Kliwon, Dungulan), Kuningan Holy Day, Saraswati Holy Day, Ciwaratri Holy Day, Pagerwesi Holy Day and so on.
All these sacred days are based on three wewaran. Wewaran is the name which is ordered based on the Balinese Calendar, for example, Sapta Wara is name of the seventh day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) or Panca Wara (Umanis, Paing, Pound, Wage and Kliwon). The example is Pagerwesi Day that falls on Wednesday Kliwon. For this year, Pagerwesi falls on 29 December 2004. Entire Hindu people in Bali celebrate Pagerwesi according to sima of each village. Pagerwesi Celebration in the Southern Bali area is different with the Northern Bali area the south area is assumed that Pagerwesi is equal with purnama (full moon day), tilem (dead moon), etc, but not for Northern people they assume Pagerwesi as a red-letter day.
In Singaraja, Buleleng (the northern part), Pagerwesi is celebrated hilariously. Activities of the Buleleng people are very intense in celebrating Pagerwesi Day. A day before Pagerwesi, which is Tuesday, people conduct mepatung (slaughtering pork collectively) to be processed become lawar (chopped meat), satay, and etc as Pagerwesi’s offerings.
In the morning around 5 am, people are packed up with the sesajen (offering) to be brought to the temple or sanggah (family shrine). There are some versions of people’s activities in executing the ceremony on Pagerwesi. There are some society groups, especially family members which still buried in the graveyard. Before they go to the temple for praying, they firstly go to the grave to submit the punjung. Another version is they submit the sesajen firstly and then pray at the temple and sanggah, and later on go to the grave to bring the punjung for the dead. It is intrinsically the same, only different in it’s execution.
It is crowded also in Singaraja’s center, during Pagerwesi, especially in Jagatnatha Temple. They dedicate the sodaan or ajuman and then start the praying.
Seen from its history, people in Bali build the relation with the dead as the omissions from history’s epoch. Ancestors’ souls of a prehistory age becomes of vital importance because they are trusted as a family protector in this transient world. As the reward, the protector soul should be remembered and invited in each great ceremony. (BTN/Supir)