Balinese Temples, Worship, and Life

Bali captured our hearts the same day we arrived. The daily scenes seemed like a snapshot out of National Geographic.

As we drove from the Denpasar airport to Ubud, and then in other areas throughout the island…I dreamt of capturing it all from a camera strapped to my forehead. The struggle between the urge to capture and preserve the images I saw via photos, and the desire to simply enjoy life in the moment, was constant. In Bali, I felt like a lot of experiences were simply enjoyed in the moment…but I tried to snap some photos here and there while dashing around Ubud for Yoga Near Me and pottery classes.

On of the first things we discovered is that it was hard to distinguish between home entryways and temple entryways. Most Balinese families live in family communities, or compounds, have their own family temple located at the front of their property. This amounts to a lot of temples in Bali!

We happily arrived during Galungan, a Balinese holiday which occurs one or two times a year (depending on how their 210 day calendar falls). It marks the time when they believe ancestral spirits visit the earth, and the celebration lasts for several weeks. During this time, each household prepares and decorates a penjor made from a long bamboo pole hung vertically in front of their home. They can be up to 10 meters high, and they droop and hang over the roads, making a beautiful site!  A website I found explains it in more detail:

“At Galungan time, Balinese Hindus erect a penjor in front of their houses to symbolise the dominance of good (dharma) over evil (adharma), as well as offering thanks to God for the fruits of the Earth. About halfway down the pole they attach a small cage in the shape of a triangle and made from bamboo, called sanggah cucuk. Offerings are placed in this and it is considered to be a temporary “throne” for the Gods when they come down to Earth for Galungan. If you take a close look at a Galungan penjor, you’ll notice that it’s also ornamented with coconut leaves called sampian and also long strips of white and yellow material to symbolise that it is a holy offering. Due to their innate beauty, these days penjors not only serve a religious function. They also feature at weddings, art performances, hotels, and at any occasion where there are guests of honour.”

Food for the eyes…right?!

The men and women are frequently in their ceremonial worship wear, as they seem to regularly have reasons to attend the temple for a community holiday, celebration, etc.

The women’s ceremonial wear is very feminine and beautiful. It includes a modest long-sleeved shirt often made with lace (Baju/Kebaya –not an inexpensive purchase for the Balinese), with a sarong (wastra) and oblong scarf (selendang) tied around their waist.

Here is a group on the way to the temple with their offerings!

The men and women worship separately.

Here the men wait outside while the women are inside. Men’s outfits include a nice shirt (baju), a square scarf tied around their head (bestar/udeng), a sarong skirt (wastra), and a shorter cloth that is worn over their sarong (saput).

Besides the family temples that dot the roads, there are also several temples that are designated for each community’s use. I didn’t go inside one, but took some photos at the entry.

I thought the rules posted outside were interesting.

If you are visiting Bali and want to be in the thick of traditions, I recommend this link to learn about how to participate in Balinese temple festivals.

The carved stone sculptures outside told the tales of the Balinese legends.

Rituals and worship are a part of everyday life in Bali. Our landlord’s family would come and go from different areas of our rental property throughout the day, as they placed their offerings, burnt incense, and did other rituals. I have to admit—it was admirable and beautiful to see that religion was their way of life!

In fact, oftentimes when we’d get ready to take off on our motorbikes, we’d find a tray of offerings left on them.

We would set them aside, as obviously we couldn’t sit on the bikes if we left them there—and we were sure that they were blessed with the prayer of safety and thanksgiving!

As for other daily life, I was constantly impressed by the large loads that women were carrying (it reminded me of Guatemala)!

In general, I could find nothing but admiration and appreciation for the Balinese culture and religion. They are lovely, devout people!!