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alinese Hindus continued their celebrations following the Galungan religious holiday, visiting tourist spots and attending large family gatherings.

During Manis Galungan on Thursday, Hindu families flocked to popular tourist destinations, such as zoos and beaches, to relax.

A three-day public holiday on the island began Tuesday, in celebration of one of the biggest religious festivals for Balinese Hindus.

Bali Zoo in Singapadu, Gianyar, had a boost in visitor numbers on Thursday, largely as a result of more Balinese families coming to see the animals, marketing manager Putu Agus Setyawan said.

“Today on Manis Galungan, the number of visitors doubled from a usual day and reached more than 1,000 people,” he said, adding that the zoo’s parking lot was full.

Most visitors came from Gianyar, Denpasar, Badung and Tabanan.

He said that the clowns were hired and a food bazaar was set up for the increased number of visitors.

Bad weather interrupted the crowds at Kuta Beach, where many local visitors went in the morning, the head of the beach’s task force I Gusti Ngurah Tresna said.

But the strong winds and a relatively large amount of garbage that had washed ashore saw many stay away.

“There were more local visitors than foreigners. Many of the locals come here to celebrate Manis Galungan, but the numbers were smaller than usual. I think it’s because of the bad weather,” he said.

He said that many vendors disappeared from the beach on Wednesday to celebrate Galungan.

Heavy rain hit Denpasar at about midday, deterring people from going to Sanur, which has become a popular spot to celebrate the occasion.

Balinese Hindus usually celebrate Manis Galungan by visiting relatives and neighbors after celebrating the victory of dharma (virtue) over adharma (vice), which is the essence of the Galungan.

During their visits, they also ask for forgiveness each other for their mistakes in the past.

In the evening, they perform prayers, hoping to always be blessed and able to maintain their virtue.

While many enjoyed the beaches, others preferred going to shopping centers. Malls in downtown Denpasar were filled with families shopping together.

Many people chose to take Trans Sarbagita bus to go to recreational spots, as there was an increase in the number of passengers on Thursday. The bus serves the route from Batubulan, Gianyar, to Nusa Dua in Badung.

“Like on the other holidays, Trans Sarbagita buses were filled with more passengers than on other days. Most of them were people from Gianyar heading to Nusa Dua beach,” said Ida Bagus Parsa, head of the agency operating the bus.

During working days, the number of passengers is 1,500 on average, but it could jump to at least 2,500 passengers on holidays.

On Wednesday, many shops in Denpasar were closed and streets were deserted since the island’s Hindu adherents went to temples to perform Galungan prayers. Areas that were usually packed by street vendors were also vacant.

In the morning, families went to temples near their houses and continued their rituals to major temples.