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Jakarta Post

Shared celebrations

Shared prayers: A pair of penjor (curved bamboo poles decorated with coconut leaves) created for the Hindu Galungan holiday stand sentinel at the Kwan Im (Guan Yin) Buddhist temple in the grounds of Puira Ulun Danu Batur

Trisha Sertori (The Jakarta Post)
Kintamani, Bali
Thu, February 11, 2016

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Shared celebrations

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span class="inline inline-center">Shared prayers: A pair of penjor (curved bamboo poles decorated with coconut leaves) created for the Hindu Galungan holiday stand sentinel at the Kwan Im (Guan Yin) Buddhist temple in the grounds of Puira Ulun Danu Batur.

Bali is known as a Hindu stronghold in Muslim-majority Indonesia. But that doesn'€™t mean that Bali does not respect diversity.

A pair of curved bamboo poles decorated with coconut leaves, known locally as penjor, stand sentinel over neighboring temples dedicated to Kwan Im (also spelled Guan Yin) and Siwa (or Shiva) within the grounds of Pura Ulun Danu Batur in Kintamani.

For the first time in living memory, Chinese New Year and the Hindu Galungan celebrations fell within days of each other and worshippers gathered at the temple famed for its recognition of Buddhist and Confucian beliefs alongside Hinduism.

An ancient love story between the King of Bali, Sri Jaya Pangus, and his Chinese bride, Kang Ching Wie, is believed to be the key to this coming together of religions according to Mangku Jero who offered blessings to temple goers on Monday. Dozens of families made the trip to Pura Ulun Danu Batur to pray, first to Kwan Yin and Confucius in celebration of Chinese New Year, known locally as Imlek, and then to the Hindu God Siwa.

Praying it forward: These young boys celebrated their Chinese-Indonesian heritage this week during the Chinese New Year and Balinese Hindu Galungan festivities.
Praying it forward: These young boys celebrated their Chinese-Indonesian heritage this week during the Chinese New Year and Balinese Hindu Galungan festivities.

'€œNormally there are around three months between Imlek and Galungan. I have never witnessed them occurring in the same week, just two days apart. Bali has 35-day calendar units compared to the Chinese'€™s 30-days, so over the decades, maybe even centuries, the events have grown closer,'€ says the 63-year-old Hindu priest. He adds that Pura Ulun Danu Batur pays homage to both Buddha and Siwa because of the marriage of Kang and Pangus almost a thousand years ago.

Perched on the uppermost rim of the volcanic Mount Batur'€™s caldera, the extensive temple with its many-tiered meru spires and backdrop of fir trees and mountains is reminiscent of a Chinese watercolor. Seated on steps leading to the Chinese Ratu Gede Subanda temple are brothers Luki and Theo. Both are dressed in red silk Chinese pajamas and are excited to be celebrating Chinese New Year at the temple.

'€œMaybe this temple had been here for hundreds of years,'€ says Luki, who at 6 years of age is more excited to be receiving lucky money envelopes than worshipping the Gods. '€œI like Imlek because we are given lucky money. I have four packets,'€ says the youngster. His elder brother Theo is planning ahead. '€œI am saving up my lucky money to help out my family in the future,'€ says the 9-year-old who is excited to be receiving gifts for Imlek and Galungan in the same week.

For Made Suardana, who is visiting the temple with his young daughter, sharing Imlek and Galungan is an opportunity for his family to gather and pay tribute to their ancestors.

Unity: Wearing a Hindu kebaya, sarong and sash, this woman prays at the altar of Kwan Im (Guan Yin) before praying to Hindu God Shiva.
Unity: Wearing a Hindu kebaya, sarong and sash, this woman prays at the altar of Kwan Im (Guan Yin) before praying to Hindu God Shiva.

'€œOur ancestors came from China hundreds of years ago, they came to Bali, that'€™s all I know, and so we follow Confucius and Hinduism. This is good that we have two days of Imlek and Galungan when all the family comes together to pray. This is the first time in my life I have seen these days so close together,'€ says Made.

It is not only Indonesians of Chinese descent that have come to pray at the Kwan Yin temple. Made Metri has made the trip from Denpasar to give thanks to Kwan Yin and Siwa, despite having no Chinese family connections.

'€œI come here for Siwa and Buddha. In Bali Hinduism includes Buddhism; we believe Buddha is represented by Siwa. This has come down from our ancestors. My ancestors were all Balinese, but we still follow both Buddha and Siwa, because in the past Chinese and Balinese traders worked together,'€ says Made Metri. For this worshipper Kwan Yin is the goddess of trade and business.

'€œI feel happy praying to both Kwan Yin and Siwa. I am sure Kwan Yin helps in my skin-care business and Siwa keeps my family safe. This is the first time I have ever celebrated Imlek and Galungan at almost the same time. It is perhaps hundreds of years since such an event has occurred,'€ says Made Metri, dressed in the Hindu fashion of kebaya, sarong and sash.

Along with Imlek and Galungan, Indonesia'€™s national motto Unity in Diversity was also being celebrated at Pura Ulun Danu Batur on Monday. A young woman wearing an Islamic scarf paid respect to Hinduism while visiting the temple with her family. Dressed in Hindu sarongs and sashes, the family of four on holiday from East Java joined many others to give thanks and good wishes at the dawn the year of the monkey.

'€” Photos by JP/J.B. Djwan

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