Bali Festivals and Holidays

 

If you are in Bali between July and October, you will have the opportunity to experience the Negara bull races. The pampered bulls are spruced up with accessories, hitched in pairs to makeshift chariots, and steered by jockeys who combine their riding skills and tail twisting to induce maximum performance.

Then there is also the rice harvest festival, which is dedicated to the rice god Dewi Sri. This is a blessed season for the villages and the entire place will be repainted and decorated with flags. An atmosphere of happiness pervades. Small straw rice-god dolls are placed throughout the fields and villages as a tribute.

Indonesia's Independence Day falls on August 17, when the Republic of Indonesia achieved independence from the Dutch.

Balinese ceremonies are normally held during late afternoons or evenings when the day is cooler. They also hold firm to the belief that the island is owned by the supreme god Sanghyang Widhi, and has been handed down to the Balinese in sacred trust. To show their appreciation, the people fill their waking hours with symbolic activities and worship. If you see a procession of women garbed in traditional wear, carrying small bowls or balancing towering offerings on their heads, or a group of batik-clad men with headcloths, just put on a shirt, grab your camera and mingle with the crowd - you will always be welcomed.