GALUNGAN & KUNINGAN: A TIME FOR FAMILY GATHERING

One of the biggest celebration for Hindu people in Bali are Galungan and Kuningan days. They are celebrated every 210 days of Balinese calendar, Galungan being always on Wednesday (Sept 16th) and Kuningan (Sept 26th) on Saturday (10 days after Galungan). It celebrates the victory of Dharma over Adharma (the triumph of good over evil). It marks the time when ancestral spirits of deceased relatives visit the Earth. The last day of the celebration is Kuningan, when they leave earth. The spirits of deceased relatives return to visit their former homes and the Balinese have a responsibility to be hospitable and welcoming to their past ancestors through prayers and offerings throughout their home.

Galungan is also dedicated as a day of Family Gathering, a day after the Galungan most of the Balinese families will visit each other’s house. When they visit their family house, they will enjoy the food that has been prepared such as fruits, cakes and many other things that they already used for their offerings. This time, because of the pandemic and the restrictions of gatherings, the celebrations are different from what they usually are. But the Balinese spirit is anyway there, full of joy and happiness.