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Galungan
Holiday in Bali
For the Balinese (Hindus),
Galungan is paweton jagat (ritual festivity
on the creation of the universe along with
its contents). When was this macrocosm precisely
created and how old is it now? No one knows
it exactly! However, the Balinese celebrate
Galungan just like they do on their birthdays
in compliance with the Balinese calendar,
and not by their date of birth.
In addition, the celebration of Galungan
conveys the meaning as the triumph of dharma
(righteousness) against adharma (unrighteousness).
Dharma and adharma are consistent with the
day-to-day lives that involve proper and
improper things. The summit of triumph of
dharma is celebrated every 210 days, on
Buda Kliwon Dungulan—this year it falls
on Wednesday, 5 October 2005.
According to I Gusti Made Ngurah, Head of
Bali Regional Office of Religious Affairs
the physical manifestation of the celebration
is to carry out endless veneration. A series
of Galungan festivities were commenced on
Sugihan (29 September) and will end on Pegat
Uwakan day (9 September). To learn more,
please refer to the article in the Opinion
column on page 4.
On Galungan day, the Hindu community offer
oblations, either individually or together.
The sacrifice is begun at Merajan (family
temple in every house compound), then Merajan
Gede (larger family temple) up to public
temples. “By nature, such oblations
consist of patram (leaf), puspam (flower),
palam (fruit), toyam (water) and fire. While,
the pork that is slaughtered on the day
before Galungan, some is intended for oblation
and the rest for consumption,” he says
while adding that after the worship en masse,
physically, the Galungan celebration is
considered to have come to an end.
On the following day, Umanis Galungan is
a mutual visit among families, neighbours
and wider general public to maintain social
relationships. This day is called nganyarin
as a new day. Import of Penjor
One day before Galungan, a penjor is erected
in front of the house entrance gate. According
to Gusti Made Ngurah, penjor this has philosophical
import. Hindu communities in Bali believe
if from the height one will be easier to
get composure and self-enlightenment. The
height is associated with mountains, equals
to penjor and a curved bamboo pole to make
penjor’s is the mountain symbol.
The Curved bamboo pole of the penjor is
embellished with crops, like paddy, bananas
or other fruits that are suspended as a
sacrificial oblation.
On the upper end of the penjor is hung a
piece of white or yellow fabric as the symbol
of purity and cleanliness as the ultimate
goal of human life. “Ultimate goal
of human life is moksha (reunion with God).
This ultimate goal lies in the plain sky.
White is also denoted as high cloud above
the mountain,” he adds.
Having had religious value, the penjor is
frequently delivers aesthetic or cultural
values. Penjor’s are not merely a means
of sacrifice, but also made for other needs
than Galungan festivity. Here, penjor is
employed as an indication that one is performing
a certain ritual, for instance, a bridal
penjor. This set of penjor is generally
made and completed with high sanggah (bamboo
altar shrine) and long lamak (decorative
palm-leaf arrangement) as a path that leads
the couple to their new journey of life.
It is said that Penjor Galungan and other
kinds of penjor have nearly the same form;
however, the form of its sanggah and function
distinguishes them. Penjor are used in the
rice field has small size and commonly erected
on the ritual of mebiukukung (one of rituals
carried out when the paddy is turning yellow
in the field). This rice field ritual functions
as veneration to Goddess Sri (divine light
of God) to invoke in order the harvested
crops will be better. Penjor used in mebiukukung
ritual does not contain any fruits, but
only affixed with sampian (a kind of coconut
leaf arrangement).
In this case, penjor can be divided into
two kinds, namely the sacred and that of
decoration. At a glance, both look the same,
but they are indeed different. Penjor as
complement of a religious ceremony is made
sacred, its content should be complete and
marked off with the presence of sampian
indicated by elements of leaves, fruits
(crops), paraphernalia (sanggah to put the
oblation) and a piece of white or yellow
fabric. While, the content of decorative
penjor is not complete is also added with
sampian but not along with canang sari (means
of veneration for the Hindus) and crops.
Even though it contains some leaves, they
are just intended for decoration.
So, how about the penjor that is set in
place or by other religions? Gusti Made
Ngurah states firmly that he has reprimanded
it again and again. However, they have an
argument based on cultural reasons. If the
penjor merely intended for decorative purpose,
it does not matter. But, if a penjor has
already contained sesajen (oblation), it
is unacceptable and needs putting into question.
“Later, many terms as Sanghyang Yesus
come into sight, or others,” he said.
Ngurah expects that each devotee should
make use of the identity of his own religion
and do not intermingle them. If the penjor
is used sacredly as a Hindu symbol and its
ingredients comply with the requirements
as mandated in Hinduism and it is employed
by those of Hindu devotees and furthermore
if the symbols belong to Hindu but employed
by other religions, it is obviously a different
case and may provoke the word ‘harassment’.
(BTN/015)
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