Tumpek
Tumpek is one of the most interesting of the coincidence dates. As
mentioned above, Tumpek occurs six times in every Pawukon and each
of these dates is separately important.
Tumpek Landep
The first Tumpek to take place every cycle is Tumpek Landep, the Saturday
of Landep, the second week of the Pawukon. This is a day of offerings
to weapons of war, particularly the sacred kris short swords, but
also guns or other weapons. If a family owns such a weapon, on Tumpek
Landep it is reverently unsheathed in the family temple, sprinkled
with holy water, and presented with offerings of woven coconut leaves,
flowers, and fruits. Incense and sandalwood are burned, and family
members, a lay priest, or a balian - a kind of shaman - offer prayers.
The balian will know the proper mantras for the weapon. Although originally
specified for weapons of war, the chief recipients of attention on
Tumpek Landep today are motorcycles, trucks, and automobiles which,
though certainly lethal weapons, seem hardly to be what the founders
of Balinese Hinduism had imagined.
Tumpek Uduh
Tumpek Uduh falis five weeks later on Saturday of Wariga, the seventh
week This day has many alternate names, including Tumpek Nyuh (coconut).
This is a day to offer respect to trees, particularly the coconut
palm that are important to the livelihood of the Balinese. In South
Bali the trees are dressed in traditional Balinese clothes, complete
with a headband, tlie udeng, a kilt-like kamben, and a special scarf,
saput, as a belt. Then the tree is hit ceremonially with a hammer
to notify it that offerings are nearby and to ask it to produce abundant
fruit.
The third Tumpek is the most important, partially because it is also
a Kajeng Keliwon and partly because it marks the end of the most important
of the regular religious ceremonies, called Galungan.
Tumpek Kuningan
Tumpek Kuningan, usually called just Kuningan, takes place on the
Saturday of the 12th week of the Pawukon cycle, which is the Tumpek's
namesake. The activities of Kuningan - which comes from the word for
"yellow," kuning, because the turmeric in rice offerings
gives them this color - is part of the elaborate Galungan ceremony
which will be described below.
Tumpek Krulut
On the 17th week Tumpek Krulut takes place, taking its name, like
Kuningan, from the week of its occurrence. On this day offerings are
made to the musical instruments, masks, and dance costumes used in
many of the religious ceremonies in Ball. The instruments and other
paraphernalia are decorated with coconut leaf offerings, and holy
water is sprinkled over them. Sometimes the members of the group that
uses the instruments and the costumes and masks gather to pray and
be blessed also. There is some variation to this practice. In some
parts of Ball Tumpek Knilut is ignored, and homage is paid to these
objects on the last Tumpek of the Pawukon.
Tumpek Kandang
Tumpek Kandang, sometimes called Tumpek Andang, falls five weeks later,
on Saturday of Uye, the 22d week of the Pawukon cycle. The name comes
from kandang, the Balinese word for the household animal pen, because
this is the day to honor domestic animals, especially cows and pigs,
which are higlaly valued by the Balinese. The cows are washed, kambens,
just like those humans wear, are thrown over their backs, and special
cone-shaped spirals of coconut leaf are placed on their horns. The
pigs are usually just decorated by wrapping a white cloth about their
bellies. The animals are given special foods, prayers are offered,
and they are sprinkled with rice and holy water.
Tumpek Wayang
The sixth and last of the series, Tumpek Ririggit, or Tumpek Wayang,
is again a Kajeng Keliwon, and thus particularly important. Some areas
of Ball use this date for making offerings to musical instruments
and dance equip-ment. But this day is always the most important for
the shadow play pup-pets, the wayang kulit. Many families have inherited
puppets from an ancestor who performed them, a dalang. Of course,
all dalangs have sets of them. The puppets are taken from their box,
placed in position just as if an actual performance were being given,
and blessed by the owner. A dalang will remove all his puppets from
storage - as many as 100 of them - and set them all up to receive
the offerings. It is considered very unlucky if a baby is born on
this date, and if such an event should take place on this inopportune
day, a special ceremony has to be performed in order to puri~ the
child and protect it from harm.
Galungan Day
The ten days between Wednesday of Dunggulan, the 11th week, and Saturday
of Kuningan, the 12th week, are a period called Galungan, or the Galungan
Days, starring on the day Galungan and ending on the day Kuningan.
During this period the most important regular reli-gious celebration
in the Pawukon cycle is held. The deified ancestors of the family
descend to their former homes during Galangan, and they must be entertained,
and welcomed with prayers and offerings. Families with deceased relatives
who are buried and have not yet been cremated thus not yet deified
must make offerings at the graves. Everyone gets to work. Penjors,
long bamboo poles hung with offerings, are erected everywhere. The
tops of the penjors arching over the narrow roads look for all the
world like the top of a gothic cathedral. Commerce practically ceases
during the Galungan Days. Schools are closed, and the normal life
of the village concentrates exclusively upon the events sur-rounding
this very sacred period. On the Sunday before Galungan, called Penyekeban,
from sekeb, "to cover up," green bananas are sealed in huge
clay pots upon which a small coconut husk fire burns. Lots of bananas
are required for Galungan offerings, and this heat treatment ripens
them quickly. The next day, Penyajaan, is devoted to making the many
colored cakes of fried rice dough, jaja, that are so loved by the
Balinese and used in many ceremonies as offerings. The village markets
are flill of jaja of every description in case a busy housewife has
no time to make them herself. On the day before Galungan, called Penampahan
- from nampab, "to slaugh-ter an animal" - pigs or turtles
are killed for the traditional Galungan morning feasts. Featured at
these feasts is the traditional lawar, a spicy hash made of lihely
ground turtle meat or pork and dozens of spices. Five differ-ent kinds
of hash are prepared, as are sticks of sate'. Galungan day is a time
for prayer, family get-togethers, and offerings. Almost no work is
accomplished between then and Kburigan day. The day after Galungan
- called Manis Galungan because it falls on the day Umanis of the
five-day week - is a time for visiring friends, and the roads are
jammed with cars and motorcycles. Kuningan marks the end of the Galungan
celebration. It is a time f6r family groups, prayers, and still more
offerings, as the ancestors return to heaven. (Actually this return
is sup-posed to be five days alter Galungan, and the arrival of the
ancestors is five days before Galungan, but not many people know that,
and it really makes little difference.) The day alter Kuningan is
usually called Manis Kuningan (even though it falls in the next week,
Langkir), and is a time for a holiday, visiting, and flin. There are
two interpretations of the three Sugian days. Some people accept both.
Many know of neither. One is that this period is symbolic of the Mayadenawa
story. Sugian Tenten, from enten remember," or "wake up,"
should bring to mind the triumph of adharma.
Kajeng Kliwon
The most important of these conjunction days takes place when the
last days of the three- and five-day weeks coincide. It is named after
the two days, Kajeng and Keliwon, and occurs every 15 days. Kajeng
Keliwon is a good day for prayers, and many temple anniversary festivals
and other religious ceremonies are held on Kajeng Keliwon. But the
day is also especially dangerous because evil spirits are about. Every
family makes special offerings to guard against the spirits doing
any harm. There are five important conjunction days, all of which
involve coincidences between one of the days of the seven-day week
and one of the days of the five-dayweek. Each of these conjunction
dates repeats at 35-day intervals, since all are specified by coincidences
between
Lunar Calendar
This Hindu calendar had its origins in South India during the reign
of a ruler by that name. The Saka calendar is a lunar calendar.
Each of the 12 lunar months ends on a new moon, called Tilem. The
calendar begins the day after the new moon that ends the ninth lunar
month - almost always in Gregorian March. New Year's Day, the first
day of the 10th lunar month, is called Nyepi and is an important
religious day. The Saka year numbering system is 78 years behind
the Gregorian system. It is not unusual for calendar systems to
begin in March, around the time of the vernal equinox, the first
day days of the five- and seven-day weeks. And they go in regular
cycles of spring, and the general re-awak-ening from the cold and
dreariness of winter. Although Bali has no winter, parts of India
do, and the Saka calendar came from India.
Even Gregorian calendar month names reflect this: although October
is our tenth month, November the eleventh, and December the twelfth,
the names of the months are derived from the Latin words for eight,
nine, and ten, because the year originally began in what we now
call March.
PAWUKON BEGINNING/END CELEBRATION. The end and beginning of the
current Pawukon cycle is punctuated with ceremony, although the
celebration is not as grand as Galungan. The very last day of the
Pawukon, Saturday of the 30th week, Watugunung, is a special day
for Saraswati, goddess of learning and wife of Brahma. Her festival
day is a time for making offerings for books, especially the sacred
lontar palm leaf books. All books are the subject of devotion on
this day. One is not supposed to read on Hari Raya Saraswati, however.
Schools have special ceremonies, and students jam the big temple,
Pura Jagat Natha, in Denpasar, for a special early-morning ceremony
in wluch they pray for success in their studies. The next four days,
the first four of the new Pawukon cycle, are special religious days.
They are most fervently celebrated in North Bali, where some people
put up penjors just as for Galungan, and where special offerings
are made for the uncremated dead in the cemeteries. The climax of
these four days is on Wednesday of the first week of the Pawukon,
a day called Pagerwesi, coming from two words meaning "iron
fence." The suggestion is that one should surround oneself
with a strong fortification against the forces of evil. Pagerwesi
is also a day upon which an ancient battle between good and evil
is celebrated. The three days preceding Pagerwesi have special names
and are for special activities. Sunday, the first day of the Pawukon,
is called Banyu Penaruh. Many people who live near the sea go to
the beach at dawn and symbolically puri themselves by bathing. This
is a special day for fishermen, who make offerings for their boats
and nets. Monday is called Comaribek, a day that is not widely cele-brated.
Tuesday is Sabuh-Emas, when one is supposed to make offerings for
jewelry, especially that of gold, and for the Chinese coins that
are often used in offerings.
ANNIVERSARIES. Many Balinese anniversaries are observed according
to the Pawukon cycle. The Balinese refer to a period of five seven-day
weeks as one month. There are no "months" on the Pawukon
calendar, but a division of the 210 days into six 35-day periods
conveniently approxirnates the lunar month of a little over 29 days.
The first really big ceremony for a newborn child occurs after three
of these "months," or 105 days. The ceremony is called
ngelubulanin, from telu, "three," and bulan, "month."
A child's first birthday, called an oton, takes place six "months"
after birth. At this ceremony the baby is allowed to touch the ground
for the first time. The Balinese consider it base for a baby to
crawl around on the ground, animal-like, so young babies are always
carried. When they touch the ground at their oton) a colorfiil ceremony
is held. In some areas they are covered by a cage like those used
for fighting cocks. In fishing areas a circular throwing net is
flung over mother and child. Lots of offerings are made, and many
prayers are said for the health and wealth of the baby. From this
oton comes the oft-heard saying that a Balinese has two "birthdays"
a year. He doesn't really. Many people do celebrate their otons
after growing up, but it is a rather private affair, with only prayers
and an offering. And it doesn't come twice a year, but rather once
every Pawukon cycle - six Balinese "months," or 210 days.
Often the calendar date of a birthday is forgotten. It is only the
Pawukon date and the year that is remembered. For example, my friend
Budi knows that he was born in 1953 on Redite- Menail - Sunday of
the 23d week.
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