Bali 2007 Holidays and Festivals
The Indonesian Island in a Perpetual State of Holiday
Going on a holiday to Bali this year? You are sure to run into several ceremonies and festivals during your stay, no matter how short.
Land of Holidays
Bali is the perfect destination for a holiday in both senses: vacation and festival. Its geography and nature are gorgeous, its people are welcoming and they love a good celebration. Indonesia, of which Bali is a part, has no less than 19 public holidays (compared to 10 in the US).
The Balinese supplement these official holidays with many “unofficial” ones. There are fasting and cleansing ceremonies, celebrations of crafts and art, dedications to divinities, prayers for the deceased, rites of penance, harvest festivals and thanksgiving for livestock and plants, sacrifices and anniversaries of house deities. The temple festivals are almost daily.
There are so many because Bali houses people of several religious and cultural backgrounds: Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists. All their major holidays are represented in the year.
Three Calendars
Finding out when which holiday occurs, on the Western calendar, can be difficult. Besides the Western one, Bali uses 2 more calendars:
- the saka calendar, which is the Indian national calendar, imported from India when the Majapahit empire dominated Bali in the 14th century AD
- the wuku or pawukon calendar, a lunar calendar with 210 days, that is 30 7-day weeks or “wuku”. Simultaneously with these weeks, there are 9 other weeks: a 1-day, 2-day, and so on to the 10-day week, of which each day has its own name. This is the most important calendar for determining the dates of temple ceremonies.
Bali holidays 2007 (public holidays with * / major holidays in bold)
- *17 May: Ascension Day, a Christian holiday celebrating Jesus’ ascension to heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection.
- *18 May: Shared Holiday by Goverment Decree for an Extended Weekend
- *1 June: Hari Raya Waisak or Vaishakha - Buddhist holiday to celebrate the birth of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.
- *11 August: Isra Mi'raj, the Ascension of the Prophet Mohammed.
- *17 August: Indonesia Independence Day
- 2 June: Tumpek Uduh or Tumpek Pengatag day, when blessing ceremony is held for all vegetation and food plants for good products and crop
- Mid-June till mid July: Bali Arts Festival (Taman Budaya).
- 27 June: Galungan celebrates the victory of Virtue (Dharma) upon Evil (Adharma).
- 7 July: Kuningan, 10 days after Galungan, closes the holiday with a ritual ceremony for the Ancestral spirits
- 28 July: Saraswati, a special day of thanks and prayer (puja) for the gift of Knowledge (Hindu)
- 15 September: Tumpek Kandang: a day of thanksgiving to Sang Hyang Rare Angon, Lord of livestock and domesticated animals
- *12 October: Shared Holiday by Goverment Decree for an Extended Weekend
- *13-14 October: Eid al-Fitr or the end of Muslim Ramadan, Muslim festival to end fasting month
- *15-16 October: Shared Holiday by Goverment Decree for an Extended Weekend
- 20 October Tumpek Wayang or Tumpek Ringgit (or Arringit), an auspicious day of worship of, Sang Hyang Sangkara, the Lord of Puppeteers. This day features the famous shadow puppet plays.
- *20 October: Eid al-Adha or Idul Adha (A.H.1428), Muslim Festival of Sacrifice
- 10 November: Saraswati, a day of thanks and prayer (puja) for the gift of Knowledge (Hindu)
- 14 November: with Pagerwesi, literally “iron fence,” Hindus pray to the Lord of the Universe for better mental strength against temptations and for balance in the world.
- 24 November: Tumpek Landep – Hindu day of thanksgiving to Sanghyang Pasupati, Lord of heirlooms, weapons and metal tools, for the gift of metal.
- *21 December: Shared Holiday by Goverment Decree for an Extended Weekend
- *24 December: Shared Holiday by Goverment Decree for an Extended Weekend
- *25 December: Christmas Day
- 29 December: Tumpek Uduh or Tumpek Pengatag - Special day of thanks for the gift of fruit-bearing plants
