In Bali, every six Balinese months (7.5 solar calendar months) every temple of the four different types, must have its birthday celebrated by a 3-10 hour ceremony over two days. The four types are home, municipal, functional and public. A functional one would be for example near a burial site or one in the middle of the rice paddies. The public one is usually kiosk size outside a municipal temple or a smaller offering site found around town.
The birthday ceremonies compose of one day of making offerings to the one invisible God named Sanghyang Widi, on the most important altar of the inner courtyard of a temple, and to his three identities: Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu called the Trinity. Besides these concepts from Indian Hindu traders, the Balinese retain a lot of gods from their animistic past. Primarily these are ancestral gods, foundation gods: earth, fire, water and mountains, and gods of fertility, rice, technology and books. There are also demon gods. The temple ceremonies and processions all have to do with retaining a balance of dharma (good) and adharma (evil) by offerings to show respect and gratitude for gods and ancestors; and to appease or placate the demons with bribes, too, hoping they will be a bit less mischievous. The gods’ offerings are artful and elaborate and offered on an altar, the demon offerings are offered on the ground. For the demons they include flowers, rice, coins, crackers and for the gods, the same as the demons and on a special occasion as this, cakes, fruit and entire cooked animals, like a pig.
By looking at the many well-rounded figures of the rice-farming villagers I visited, the offerings seem to work rather well. [A contributing factor around Ubud, however, is tourism. Everyone seems to have a second no stress tourist-related job, besides farming.]
Just in case you think the standard of living here is generally high in Bali, the average income is $100 a month. Many men are in prison for crimes they committed to get into prison for the three square meals. Many poor parents put their children in orphanages, so the children can get an education, or so they are promised. In actual fact they are made to live the life of Oliver Twist by the supposedly caring orphanage managers.
The photos below are ones I took as a guest of Made Mariasta, at his villages’ temple birthday during the offerings. He is a traditional painter and friend of Wayan and Richard. I also was present for the children’s dance and the mask dance, but it was getting dark and the flash would have blinded the dancers. The Balinese are famous for their dance.
