Wolfgang's photos with the keyword: Ceremony

The mythology says that during the dark days, the god Indra led gods and goddesses to save the island from the Mayadanawa (demon of illusion). After a long and bloody fight, the gods destroyed Mayadanawa and his troops. The victory is celebrated as Galungan by Balinese Hindus. During the Ngerebong, holy statues from all temples in Kesiman and nearby subdistricts are taken to the temple. Kesiman people believe that during Ngerobong, gods and goddesses gather at the temple to show off their magical powers for humans and spirits. The gods and goddesses want to convince humans that they will protect the latter from danger and bad deeds and get rid of evil spirits from the area.

Photo from the local village festival in Sanur on Bali. In this structure, an Ogoh Ogoh figure greets visitors with its frightening gaze.

A friendly citizen from the Kesiman district of Denpasar welcomes us to take part in the biannual Pengerebaongan festival, which takes place in the temple of the same name. This tradition is held eight days after Kuningan Day, specifically on Radite (Sunday) Pon Wuku Medangsia according to the Balinese calendar system. The Ngerebong ceremony aims as a reminder for Hindus to maintain a harmonious relationship between human and God, between human and another human, and between human and the universe.

Bangkal is an old pig in Bali and is considered a mythical animal that has strength. It is made of velvet fabric. Paraded on Kuningan holiday which is hold the day after I captured this photo.

Spontaneous portrait photo of a young girl inside the Pengerebongan temple who has just received the blessing of a Pemangku priest. With so many visitors in the temple area, it is easy to take such photos after a short asking and talking with the people.

The Pemuteran Bay Festival is an annual celebration held by the local community. Lies in the northwest part of Bali, Pemuteran is a village with tremendous tourism potential. The coastal village is an example of a well-managed ecotourism community. The ingenuity of the masquerades knows no bounds. This masquerade took several weeks, even months, to be worked on. Pemuteran Coastal Village is aimed and recognized as model of best practices for Community Based Village Ecotourism as an effective tools for conservation of living landscape of nature and culture.

Well dressed women at the wedding festival in Kesiman by Denpasar. Married women wear a pink sarong and the young ladiy at the front a blue sarang. Rita Deliana still is single and is waiting to get married after her study. The bride is only present for a short time. The groom kidnaps the bride for 7 days from the homestead of the father-in-law who has been initiated and lives with her in hiding.

The wedding couple is blessed by a Pemangku priest and his wife. Pemangku are simple, good-natured souls who live near the temple, leading normal lives except when a temple celebration makes them the center of attention. Before a ceremony takes place, the family gives an offering of money to the Pemangku's shrine of spiritual power (taksu). A Pemangku doesn't make a living as a priest, but works as a farmer or merchant. But in this case of the wedding ceremony he is calling the good demons for giving the couples a good future.

Mayang on the left side and her half sister Ocha on the right side wearing the pink sarong and the Sangul hairdressing due they are married. Rita in the middle with the blue sarong she still is singl.

he tutelary deity Ishtadevata blesses the marriage. Ishtadevata is a term which in Hinduism designates the favorite deity or preferred deity of a believer. The term can also be taken to mean a tutelary deity or an aspect of God that is particularly revered. The concept of Ishtadevata emphasizes the tolerance that the Hindu faith has towards religious pluralism. Regardless of their belief in one God of many incarnations or multiple gods, Hindus can choose the divine form that most inspires them. While some sects encourage the choice of a personal deity, others believe that the god chooses them.

The young lady I spontaneous captured was tautly looking to the scene happened inside the hoöy temple yard for receiving blessing by the Pemangku priest.

In Denpasar, precisely Kesiman Village there is an interesting ritual which is called Pengerebongan. It's a must thing to do for visitors coming to Bali if has time to experiece a great festival. Myself joint this ceremony already the third time, first it was eight years ago. Because of its uniqueness and contains the mystical value, it is very recommended to witness the ritual from the beginning of the preparation until the end of the process. Usually, this ritual is performed by people lived in Kesiman Village at a certain time but may other worshipper come from all near and far places on Bali island.

An 11 years old school girl named Gek Shanti is dancing a Legong performance at the Puputan ceremony in Denspasar down town. Gek Shanti learns dancing since she went to primary school. The Puputan festival is an annualy memory for the horrific Dutch intervasion at the year 1906.

The park is the culture building complex with the best style of Balinese traditional architecture. We visited the park during evening hours when many thousands of Balinese and other national visitors came for the performance during the art festival in July 2015. A local Balinese family in front of the Kori Agung gate.

The external and middle parts of the temple was accessible tme after a Balinese guide let me the necessary clothes to enter the hoy center. The madya mandala (middle part) has a bale pegat (open air pavilion) surrounded by a beautiful pool. The hall is regarded as a transition space for those who wish to practice worshiping in the central part of the temple.

Before entering the holy compound of the temple I photographed this three young ladies carring the small boy in one girls hip. The girls wear the necessary yellow scarf (Selendang) around their hips and are dressed in traditionel clothes. A Pedanda priest pressed the tilak (some rice corns, called bija) on their foreheads. Its an external symbol of our surrender to Krishna (central figure of Hinduism, or to our object of worship).

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.

Legong is a refined dance form characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions. Legong probably originated in the 19th century as royal entertainment. Legend has it that a prince of Sukawati fell ill and had a vivid dream in which two maidens danced to gamelan music. When he recovered, he arranged for such dances to be performed in reality. Girls from the age of five aspire to be selected to represent the community as Legong dancers.