Kuningan Day; Balinese Hindu Holiday - Bali Temple Ceremony

 

There are many Annual Celebrations of Bali, which constitute of religious and non-religious events and festivals. One of the most important Bali Events and Festivals that is considered very pious by the people of Bali, is the Kuningan in Bali. The festival of Kuningan in Bali is the end of the 10 day festivities of the Galungan, when the ancestors and Gods are supposed to descend to the family temples and have to be prayed to and deified. To know more about the festival of Kuningan in Bali do browse through the Bali Travel Guide, which offers you complete information.

One of the most important Bali Events and Festivals in the month of December, the Kuningan in Bali is a private affair. Most festivals in Bali are public in nature and consist of processions and ceremonies that are celebrated with pomp and splendor. However, the Kuningan in Bali is an event that is very subdued and celebrated by people in the shrines of the family temple and and in the houses. Every Balinese goes to his native home for the celebration of the festival of Kuningan in Bali.
The Kuningan in Bali traces its name to the special offerings of Yellow Rice, or 'nasi kuning', which are made by rice colored with turmeric. These are offered to the ancestors and Gods, to appease them and keep them happy. The Kuningan in Bali is a time when the whole family comes together and prays to their ancestors and the Gods to keep them happy and to bless them.
Tumpek Kuningan takes place 10 days after Galungan Day, at the Saturday of Kuningan, the 12th week of the Balinese Pawukon calendar.
Tumpek Kuningan is the day when the Gods and Pitara return to the earth to bestow physical and spiritual prosperity on humanity, and to bless all beings of the universe.
The ceremonial equipment used on Tumpek Kuningan is quite special. Amongst them are: tebog, selanggi, endongan, yellow rice, puppets, tamiang, kolem and others. The ceremonies should be completed before the sun sinks to the west (before noon) because by then the Gods and Pitara will have returned to their respective kahyangan or heavens in the invisible world of niskala.