If
you trouble remembering what day of the week it is then consider the flight
of the Balinese. According to one of the three calendars system used in
Bali. A given single date on the calendar may represent ten different
days of the week all at once.
One of the three Balinese calendar
is the standard, familiar Gregorian calendar that is in general use the
word over, and use by the Indonesian Government and businesses in general.
Government offices and many stores are closed on Sunday, and the important
holidays of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism are all celebrated.
You will find such calendars in all Balinese stores and homos but, upon
close inspection, you will find some differences. First of all, dates
run vertically downward instead of from left to right. With Sundays on
top, rather than at the left margin. And second you will find enormous
amount information crowded onto each month's page, because what you are
looking at is not simple Gregorian calendar it is three completely different
calendars superimposed upon each other.
The second calendars system is
sometimes called the Javanese Balinese calendars because it had its origins
in East java and was imported along with the decaying Majapahit kingdom
that fled the advance of Islam in the 14th century. This wuku, or pawukon
calendars flourishes in Bali, but only vestiges of it remain in java.
The pawukon is a cycle of 210 days, consisting of 30 weeks, each 7 days
in length. Each week has name and number, from 1 to 30, which are printed
in red at the top of each column on the calendar. Most Balinese car rattles
off the 30 tongue twisting week names as quickly as we can A-B-Cs.
The 210-day pawukon calendar pro vides the reference
system for most of the religious ceremonies in Bali market days personal
anniversaries, and days cycle good or bed for doing special tasks A single
210 day cycle since no record is kept of successive cycles nor the numbed.
They just pass by. During the 210 day can then weeks each of a different
length, run there is a week that is only one day long one that has two
days one that has that long and so on up to the longest 10-day week Each
of the 10 different length weeks has a Sanskrit - derived Balinese name
based upon the number of days that it contains. Thus Triware is the 3-day
week and Saptaware is exactly like 7 days week. And each separate day
of each of the ten different weeks its own name, making a total of 1+2+3
10-55
separate week days names. Actually, however, the one-day week does not
have the same name every day on some days it has no name at all.
GOOD AND BAD DAYS
Certain of the days of the 3-day week are better than
others. Pasah is bad for anything. One would never try to do anything
important on Pasah. Beteng is market day. Kajeng is a very good day for
many sorts of activities. The Balinese pay very special attention to dates
upon which certain days of some weeks happen to coincide with certain
day of other. These conjunctions are mostly confined to the 3,5 and 7
day weeks. One of the most important conjunction dates is when Kajeng.
The 3rd. day of 3-day week coincides with Kliwon, the 5th. Day of the
5-day week. This day, Kajeng kliwon occurs every 3 times 5, or 15 days.
It is particularly dangerous day, because evil, as well as good, spirits
are at large. Everyone puts offerings on the ground in font of their homes
to appease the greedy evil ones and especially at crossroads, where they
are known to live. Kajeng Kliwon is also a bad day for climbing, lest
one find himself in higher position than some especially holy spot, which
is considered extremely dangerous and bad. But, other than that, Kajeng
Kliwon is considered a generally good day.
OFFERING DAYS
There are several important days of conjunction between
days of the 5 -day week and those of the 7- day week, which occur every
35-day. One of the most interesting of these is called Tumpek. On four
of the five Tumpek days of each Pawukon, special offerings and prayers
are made to a particular class of everyday, useful object, as thank to
god for providing them. Tumpek Landep is on Saturday of the 2nd. All Tumpeks
occur on Saniscara Kliwon. On this day offering are made to sharp, iron
objects such as the sacred, wavy bladed rises, and to other iron subject
such as guns, and even to automobiles and motorcycles. Tumpek Uduh occurs
on Saturday of the 7th. Week, Wariga, and is devoted to useful trees,
especially coconut trees. In some part of Bali the trees are even dressed
up in traditional Balinese clothes. Tumpek of the 17th week, Krulut involves
musical instruments and dance costumes. Tumpek of the 22nd Week, Uye is
called Tumpek Kandang, and offering are made to cows and pigs which are
often specially decorated for the occasion. The last Tumpek of the 210-day
cycle occurs on the 27th week, Wayang, and is for important Wayang Kulit
puppets.
FESTIVAL
In Year 2003, It will be held on 18 of June 2003
Weeks number 11 and 12 of the Pawukon cycle. Dungulan
and Kuningan are both-special. The 10 day between Wednesday of Dungulan
which is called Galungan day, and the Saturday of Kuningan which is called
kuningan day, are often referred to as the 'Galungan Days' During this
period the defiled family ancestors are invited to return of their former
homes and must be suitably entertained and prayed and offered to. A huge
amount of work is required in making offerings. Commerce practically ceases.
The market stalls are full of brightly colored rice cakes and flowers
and fruits for the offerings. Schools are on vacation, and the normal
life of the village concentrates upon this most important celebration.
On Galungan Day everyone puts up tall. Decorated bamboo pole and shrine
in front of this home. This symbolizes one of the dragon-snakes that is
important in the Balinese concept of the universe.
The Galungan-Kuningan period is important because it
symbolize an important mythical battle between the forces of good and
evil The Balinese pray that at least an equilibrium can be maintained
in this strife. The 35 days following Galungan used to be a period during
which it was not permitted to marry, pay debts, or buy animals but, these
prohibitions are now seldom adhered to. Another important day in pawukon
is the last day of the 210-day cycle. Saturday of the 30th week it is
devoted to Saraswati, that manifestation of God symbolizing scholarship
and learning. Offerings are made to one book, and reading is prohibited.
The next for days, the beginning of week number one, are also important.
They culminate on Wednesday. A day called Pagerwesi translated as iron
fence. This period represent another battle between Good and Evil, and
the necessity of erecting a strong spiritual barrier to keep out negative
forces.
The date of most temple anniversary festivals or Odalan,
are set by Pawukon calendar. For example the Odalan at famous Tanah Lot
temple near Tabanan is always held on Budha Langkir, that is to say. Wednesday
of the 13th week but of course, this occurs every 210 days, and will not
come on the same Gregorian date next time. Special events surrounding
birth are governed by the Pawukon calendar. in many part of Bali a child
is given a name 210 days after birth and allowed to touch the ground for
the first time, in a celebration called oton. And many families celebrate
the oton of family member of regularly there after. Thus, you will hear
that a Balinese has a birthday every six months. This refer to practice
of calling of period of five 7-day weeks a "month" when talking
with foreigners. It isn't a month in our sense, but is as close as the
Pawukon can come to our variable 28 to 31 day month. In addition to the
ever-present Balinese paper calendar, there is another memory aid that
is found in some homes and antique shops, called the tika. It is in the
form of a small wooden board, about 15* 35 centimeter, but sometimes in
the form of a painting on much larger cloth. The tika is divided into
thirty vertical columns, representing the day of the seven -day week.
Instead of number, geometric symbol -crosses, dots, circles, or diagonal,
are used to represent important dates like Tumpeks, Kajeng Kliwon, Anggara
- Kasih, usually painted with faces or figures symbolizing these dates.
THE SAKA CALENDAR
In Year 2003, It will be held on 2 of April 2003
The third, and equally important, Balinese calendar
system is called the Saka. Its origins are in south India where it is
still in use for certain purposes. The Saka calendar is lunar. There are
12 lunar months, each ending on the date of new moon, which is called
Tilem in Bali. The first 10 Month have name that are derived from the
Sanskrit numbers from one to ten. The names of the last two are based
upon a different system. The saka year begins on the day after the new
moon that ends the ninth month, which is almost always some time in March.
New year's Day, the first day of the 10th month is called Nyepi. The saka
year numbering system preserves the method used in India. Its starting
point commemorated the accession to the throne of the saka dynasty in
78 A.D. thus the saka year is 78 year behind the Gregorian numbering system.
March 1985 will see the start of saka year 1907.
The day before Nyepi that of the new moon of month number
nine is always a time of exorcism. Animal sacrifices and other offering
are made. The deified ancestors are invited down to earth where they reside
in elaborately carved and guided statues, and these are reverently carried
to the sea or to nearby holy spring to be symbolically cleansed. The evening
before Nyepi everyone, especially children, bang on metal drums plates
and wave flaming torches to scare away the ever- present evil spirit.
Special games are played in some villages that evening. Nyepi is supposed
to be a day of silence, prayer, and meditation. Each of the 12 lunar months,
which are called Sasih, has 30 lunar days. Days of waxing moon, running
from new moon to full moon, Purnama, are numbered from one to fifteen
and are printed in red to the right of date number on the calendar. Full
moon indicated by a large red dot to the left of the date. The 15 lunar
day of waning moon are numbered in black at the right of the date. New
moon is shown by a large black dot to the left of the date. The name of
the moon is printed at the very bottom of the square for each date.
Now, whenever a lunar calendar is used, problems arise.
The period between successive new moons, one lunar month, contains slightly
more than 291/2 solar day, not 30. But the saka calendar specifies 30
lunar day per month. If each solar day also represented a lunar day, there
would, of course, have to be 30 solar days each month too, and the result
will be that a new or full moon would not occur every 30 solar days, occurring
about half a day sooner each month. So, after a time, the date of new
or full moon on the calendar would not actually be the date upon which
the moon is new or full. Such is the case in one Balinese village, Tenganan.
Which makes no adjustment for this discrepancy. To bring the dates of
new and full moon back to where they belong, in terms of solar day, a
simple adjustment is made. Every nine weeks, 63 days, two successive days
are made to fall upon one solar day. This date always a Wednesday, and
you will see that two lunar days marked to right of the date are separated
by a splash. This system produces a lunar month that, on the average,
is less than 0.002% different than the astronomical lunar month.
ADJUSTMENTS
The other problem with lunar calendar is that they do
not properly coincide with the seasons. Twelve lunar months produce a
year of only 354 and 355 days. Where as our year of the seasons contain
very close to 3651/4 days. So if something ware not done, Nyepi would
slip backwards a long the Gregorian calendar dates 11 or 12 days a year
until it no longer occurred in March. The date of the; spring Equinox.
To rescue this situation, an extra, or intercalary, month is added at
interval. The rule of this: new moon of the 7th. Lunar month must fall
in January. But, unless something is done, this date will soon slip back
into December. If this will happen in the coming year to prevent it, an
extra 13th month is added before month number seven, those pushing its
new moon ahead about 29 or 30 days to where it belongs. In non leap year,
the intercalary month is called Sasih Mala Sadha, and is added after the
12th month. In leap year the extra month is called Sasih Mala Jiyesta,
and is added after the 11th month. In these two way, therefore, the saka
calendar is kept in almost perfect adjustment to the length of the Gregorian
year and to the season.
The Saka calendar, rather than Pawukon calendar, is
used to govern the time of religious celebration in some temple and villages.
Of the 66 mayor temple anniversary festival listed by the department of
religion, 40 are related to the Pawukon and 26 to the saka calendar. Saka
celebration usually held at full, rather than new moon, with moon number
4 and ten being especially popular. The death temple may hold their anniversaries
on new moon dates. On the Balinese paper calendar there is much additional
information. Below the last horizontal row, Saturday, are listed the Ingkel,
for each week. Ingkel indicate a forbidden activity. During the week when
Ingkel is Soto one may not cut, kill, or make offering to 4legged animal.
Ingkel Mina applies the prohibition to fish. Manuk to birds, Taru to wood,
and Buku to any jointed object, like bamboo. The left side below the Ingkel
line show the date of especially important religious day, day of Kajeng
Kliwon and so on. Below that that is a list of dates, followed by the
name and location of some of the temple that will hold Odalan on each
date given. The list is not complete, and some of the temples aren't even
in Bali, but the list is especially useful for the self-guiding tourist.
The remainder of the calendar
is devoted to information that enables one to deter mine which days are
suitable or unsuitable for certain activities. The Balinese consider this
information to be extremely important and would never schedule an activity
on a day when the calendar says that it is inappropriate. And this list
covers every conceivable sort of action: planting, harvesting, cremation,
starting a fire, building a house, marrying, traveling in a certain direction,
selling a cow, and on and on. So, if you think that your life is complicated,
just remember that what Margaret Mead aptly termed "the incredible"
of Bali is very carefully controlled and regulated by a complex and interlocking
set of three different calendars. One cannot really understand Bali without
some comprehension of them.
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