Celebrating the Triumph of Good over Evil

Galungan is one of the biggest festival dates for the Hindu Balinese, occurring every six months in the Balinese calendar. This year, it falls on May 12.

On this day, the triumph of good (dharma) over evil (adharma) is celebrated through offerings of fruit, food, flowers and prayers at the family temple, and for some villages, at the village temple as well.

Another common activity during Galungan is the slaughter of a pig and slow roasting it over a wood fire. The pig symbolizes negativity and laziness, which are different manifestations of evil. The action of slaughtering the pig signifies the removal of negativity.

Although the peak of celebrations occurs on Galungan day itself, many celebratory preparations are undertaken in the days leading up to it and also after it. The males will craft a penjor - long bamboo pole decorated with flowers, plants or rice to resemble a dragon's tail – to be placed at the entrance of homes, and wrap temple shrines in yellow and white cloth. Each decoration symbolises the deities' gifts to humans for life. The females are kept busy with arranging the flowers, rice cakes and fruit in baskets or plates to be given up as offering during prayers.

Ten days after Galungan is Kuningan, a day where family and friends gather to celebrate kinship and friendship.

For more reading about Galungan, refer to this Wikipedia article: Galungan.