Galungan wards off evil among Hindus

Fri, September 30, 2016 / 10:57 am

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Residents walk past penjor [bamboo poles] decorating the streets of Denpasar, Bali. Hindus in Bali began installing the curved bamboo pole decorated with coconut leaves a day before the Galungan festival. The penjor carried crops such as rice, fruit, coconut and janur. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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Men participate in a pig slaughtering ritual during penampahan galungan in Banjar Kehen, Denpasar, Bali. The ritual is performed a day before the festival, as a symbol of cleansing human beings’ souls of animalistic greed. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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A woman prepares an offering containing fruit and snacks. The offering will be taken to the temple as part of the prayers’ procession in celebrating Galungan. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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Children wear masks and walk around their village to perform a tradition called Ngelawang Barong, accompanied by gamelan, at Banjar Bungkak, Denpasar, Bali. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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Several Balinese women carry offerings to the Pura Jagatnatha Temple as part of the Galungan Festival in Denpasar, Bali, on Sept. 7. The Galungan Festival is celebrated by Hindus as a victory of good (Dharma) over evil (Adharma). JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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A woman carries offerings on her head at the Pura Jagatnatha Temple as part of the celebrations of the Galungan Festival in Denpasar, Bali, on Sept. 7. The festival is celebrated by Hindus as a victory of good (Dharma) over evil (Adharma). JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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Hindus in Bali pray during the Galungan Festival at Pura Jagatnatha Temple, Denpasar, Bali, on Sept. 7. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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Hindus place offerings on a pile during the Galungan Festival at Pura Jagatnatha Temple in Denpasar, Bali, on Sept. 7. The festival is held once every six months to symbolize the victory of good over evil. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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A Balinese woman prays by placing the canang [offerings] on Sanur Beach during umanis galungan on Sept. 8. During Umanis galungan, which is held a day after the Galungan Festival, Hindus forgive one another by visiting relatives and water sources. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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Residents swim on Sanur Beach during umanis galungan on Sept. 8. JP/Zul Trio Anggono

Early September was a festive time in Bali, when Hindus in the province prepared for the Galungan celebration, which fell on Sept. 7.

The festival started with the slaughtering of a pig, to mark the death of animalistic greed in human beings and to cleanse the soul. The ritual is called penampahan galungan and is carried out in the morning, a day before Galungan. In the afternoon, after penampahan galungan, Hindus decorate a curved bamboo pole with a coconut leaf decoration called janur and crops such as rice, fruit and coconut, as a symbol of prosperity, offered to the Gods on Mount Agung.

Galungan on the Island of Gods is a sacred day for the Hindu Dharma congregation nationwide. The big ceremony celebrates the victory of Dharma [the good] and wards off evil, every six months.

Thousands of Hindus visit their local temples, pura, after praying at their own temple in their house.

Praying is followed by making offerings consisting of fruit, cakes and beverages.

The last stage of the ritual is umanis galungan, in which Hindus go to water sources such as waterfalls or beaches to neutralize vileness and evilness inside human beings.[evi]