The Jakarta Post, Saturday, November 02 2013
Millions of Balinese Hindus will be performing special prayers on Saturday morning to observe Kuningan, the day when Gods, Goddesses and ancestral spirits visit the Earth to bless the people and return home to heaven before noon.
Kuningan is the culmination of a series of celebrations after the Balinese people observed Galungan ten days ago.
Galungan and Kuningan celebrations are the two most important religious holidays for Balinese Hindus, which are observed every 210 days according to the Balinese lunar calendar.
While Galungan is a time to celebrate the victory of dharma (virtue) over adharma (vice), Kuningan is a time for self-contemplation.
All houses are adorned with Tamiang (ornate young coconut leaves weaved in the form of shields) to symbolize the shields of human souls and minds.
On Friday, women prepared lavish offerings, which included yellow rice, fruits, cakes and other materials presented to the deities and ancestors, who visit their family shrines and major temples all over Bali.
In a beautiful compound in Padangtegal village, Ubud, Kadek Purnami and her husband placed offerings at several shrines in their family temple. The offerings included fresh fruits, cakes and floral arrangements.
“We place the offerings today but we will present them to the deities tomorrow morning because we have many shrines here and we want avoid being late for our prayers tomorrow,” the young housewife said, referring to the local custom that Kuningan prayers must be completed before noon.
I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, chairman of Indonesia Hindu Dharma Parisada Council (PHDI) Bali chapter, said Kuningan prayers would be centered at Pura Sakenan Temple on Serangan near Denpasar. During Kuningan, thousands of devotees will flock to the temple from morning until evening to present their offerings and conduct their prayers. In the distant past, when Serangan was still a tiny islet separated by shallow waters and mangrove forests from mainland Bali, the devotees would board jukung (traditional outriggers) or wade the muddy strait to reach the temple, creating iconic images of a spiritual pilgrimage that has adorned many postcards and travel magazines. Today, a concrete bridge, one of the legacies of a reclamation project that saw the island grow three times its original size, has connected Serangan to the mainland.
“Kuningan celebrations have a spiritual function that strengthens people’s hearts and minds, symbolized by the Tamiang,” Sudiana said.
Tamiang decorates every corner of a house and family shrines in the hope that gods will forever protect and shield the people from possible calamities.
“The clarity and serenity of one’s mind is the most potent weapon against any outside influences,” he said.
Kuningan prayers, he added, must begin early in the morning and completed before noon. “It is believed that the gods and ancestors will return to heaven,” he said. The offerings, such as yellow rice, will be “taken” to heaven with them.
For many Balinese families, celebrating Galungan and Kuningan can cost them a lot of money. With prices of food, fruits and basic commodities skyrocketing; families may have to spend double the amount for those items for the
celebrations.
A family may at least ten to 100 pieces of small canang sari (flower offerings), costing between Rp 500 to Rp 2,500 per piece. Not to mention, fruits, young coconut leaves, cakes and meals.
Sriasih, one of sellers of canang sari at a local traditional market, said that nobody ever worries about spending a lot for Galungan and Kuningan. “Balinese people view Galungan and Kuningan as the time to express their gratitude to the creator and to share happiness with families and friends, at any cost, literally.”
*
za 2 nov 2013 - 22:23