From Galungan and Kuningan to Nyepi in Bali. Our Journey to Lake Batur
- Olga Kurak
- Mar 11, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 29
Hello everyone,
The past couple of weeks have been filled with joyous occasions:
On February 28th, Galungan was celebrated in Bali, followed by Kuningan on March 9th.
March 1st marked Santiago's birthday.
And on March 11th, Bali observed "Silent Day," locally known as Nyepi in Bali.
Now, I will tell you about the traditions of celebrating Balinese holidays here and about our trip to Lake Batur to celebrate Santi's birthday.
Having lived in Bali for several years, I can confidently say that Balinese people celebrate a lot of religious holidays. Each celebration involves an incredible number of ceremonies that can last for a day or even an entire month.
Table of Contents
Galungan and Kuningan: Bali’s Most Important Holidays
On the island, two calendars coexist: Pawukon, which originates from eastern Java and is based on rice cultivation cycles, and Saka, which follows the lunar calendar and is closer to the Gregorian calendar.
According to the Pawukon calendar, the local year consists of 210 days. Its ending is marked by Galungan. In 2024, Galungan is celebrated twice, on February 28th and September 25th, and Kuningan accordingly on March 9th and October 5th.
The beginning of Galungan celebration is marked by penjors - bamboo poles adorned with various decorations and offerings such as fruits, which are installed in front of every building along the roads.
Balinese believe that during this holiday, spirits return to earth, descending here with the help of penjors. They visit their former homes, and prayers and offerings are made everywhere. All family members are supposed to be well-dressed during the ceremonies. It looks incredibly beautiful: decorated houses with penjors, people dressed in white attire with baskets filled with fruits, ceremonies in every Balinese temple.
Galungan ends with the beginning of Kuningan celebration when the spirits have already left the earth.
During Galungan and Kuningan, time slows down. All delays in deliveries of goods and other work are attributed to these holidays. On the island, there are 2-3 official holidays during this period when everything is closed. On other days, everything operates, but the service may be "slower," especially in more remote areas from the city of Denpasar. Children in schools also have a two-week vacation.
This entire holiday period can last from 2 to 4 weeks.
Our Journey to Lake Batur
This year, during Galungan, my beloved husband celebrated his birthday.
We always go somewhere for our birthdays. Typically, organizing trips is my responsibility. Trip ideas arise spontaneously, but we have long decided to explore other parts of Bali. Besides the southern part of the island, which is crowded with tourists, there are countless beautiful places worth visiting.
Climbing Mount Batur and Mount Agung are on my travel bucket list, but they haven't been realized yet. However, we both really wanted to go to the mountains. So we decided to go to Lake Batur, located at the foot of the volcano with the same name.
For accommodation, we chose glamping.
Glamping is one of the modern trends in ecotourism, which combines outdoor camping in special tents with hotel-like amenities: beds, furniture, showers, and toilets. Today, this type of leisure is very popular and rapidly developing. There are already many glampings in Bali, especially in the mountainous region. I chose the accommodation based on online reviews. I settled on Toteme Glamping and Hot Spring Kintamani. The main reason for this choice was the presence of a pool with natural hot springs on the glamping grounds, especially when I found out that Santi had never swum in a pool with thermal water before.
I come from Zakarpattia, Ukraine, which is famous for its thermal pools. Nearby Hungary and Slovakia are also known for their balneological resorts, and people from my region often go there for vacation. I really wanted to remind myself of the beauty of mountain landscapes and the pleasantness of relaxation in a hot pool and to show Santi what beauty awaits him when we go to my hometown.
Let me show some pictures of my Carpathians
Our route to Batur Lake:
Uluwatu - Kintamani - distance 96 km.
The duration of the car trip is 3-4 hours depending on traffic.
Narrow roads and a sea of vehicles and people often meant that covering just 25 km to Denpasar could take up to an hour and a half.
We stopped for the first time 10 km before the glamping to have lunch at a café along the road with wonderful mountain views.
I chose the place based on reviews, but this time my choice was so-so. The views are great, but the food is not so good. I tried a dish from the local cuisine. What can I say? I'm still in search of truly tasty local food. Most of the guests are Indonesians, as is the majority in Kintamani. I especially like to visit tourist spots where the locals relax; there's always a different atmosphere than in places crowded with foreign tourists.
After lunch, we headed to our glamping site. Along the way, I couldn't contain my excitement as everything reminded me of the Carpathian Mountains.
Views on our way to Batur Lake
Toteme Glamping and Hot Spring Kintamani
Located near Lake Batur, surrounded by local houses, where rural residents live, with roosters crowing, cows wandering, dogs barking, and cats meowing (they were particularly active at night). For us, this was all quite familiar, as we live in a similar village in Uluwatu.
The grounds were well-maintained, with breathtaking mountain views all around. There's a restaurant and, as I mentioned earlier, a pool with natural hot springs. After settling in and inspecting our tent, which turned out to be more like a hotel room, equipped with a bed, shower, toilet, air conditioning, and minibar, we headed straight to the pool, and then the rain began. Bathing in the warm waters of the pool while the rain fell was a truly delightful experience. Santi particularly enjoyed it, calling it his best poolside relaxation yet.
As for the downsides, I would like to mention the lack of privacy. The tents are situated close to each other, and, after all, they're still tents, so you can hear absolutely everything and everyone around.
In the evening, we had a dinner at the restaurant. When I booked the room, I emphasized that it was my husband's birthday, and they promised a mini cake and flowers in the room, but upon arrival, there were no flowers or cake. I didn't mention anything to them - I had already forgotten, and so had they.
The food at the restaurant. The menu features Italian, Indonesian (given that many Indonesians were staying at the glamping site), Thai cuisine, and other items that I couldn't categorize, like duck leg with puree or beef ragout. The kitchen needs some improvement. We hardly finished our meals; some dishes lacked flavor, while others had a strange mix of spices. I love cocktails, especially the "Margarita," and it was almost perfect here.
I want to highlight the service - it's truly excellent, and everything is clean. Most of the staff are locals, they communicate well in English, and they're friendly, always ready to help. If you read reviews online about Toteme, guests complain about slow service or staff forgetting guests' requests - I'll let you in on a secret: service in Bali is slow almost everywhere, and yes, sometimes the staff may forget your request. Accept it as part of the experience and enjoy your vacation.
Waking up early in the morning, I stepped out onto our terrace and enjoyed the cool mountain air, the mist surrounding us, and walked barefoot on the grass. It's a different Bali, one that so closely resembled my homeland. After breakfast, we relaxed once again in the hot pool, took numerous photos, and then headed home. We have three dogs whom we left with our neighbor, so we wanted to return home quickly.
Would we want to vacation at a glamping site again? Yes, but next time, we'll pay more attention to the distance between the tents and their overall quantity on the premises.
Will we return to Lake Batur? Absolutely, it's a must on my travel bucket list to conquer that volcano. Perhaps I'll even persuade Santi to join, but that's not set in stone.
Nyepi in Bali
I started writing this post immediately after our trip to Batur and I'm finishing it on "Day of Silence," also known as Nyepi. This marks the fourth time I've experienced the Balinese New Year, as it's known according to the Saka calendar.
About this holiday:
Nyepi is an Hindu celebration primarily observed in Bali. For 24 hours, life on the island comes to a standstill. From 6 AM to 6 AM the next day, everyone, including tourists, must stay in their hotels.
In some regions, there's no electricity, mobile phone coverage, or internet. We still have power and internet, but the villa owner checks if we're keeping noise levels down. In the evening, we're not allowed to turn on lights or light candles. Silence envelops everything. It's a day without work, entertainment, or travel, and for some Balinese, it's a day without conversation or food. Even the airport shuts down for 24 hours. On the streets, you'll only find Pecalang, local guards who patrol to ensure rules aren't broken. Pecalang are not police; their duty is to maintain order, both during Nyepi and on other days. If necessary, medical emergencies are allowed.
According to legend, demons and other malevolent forces descend to earth on this day. Finding no one around, they have nothing to do here and return to their world without causing harm to humans.
Melasti Ceremony
Three days before Nyepi, a highly symbolic and beautiful ceremony called Melasti takes place. It's the largest purification ritual in Bali.
During the ceremony, both the human body and the entire land are cleansed of evil spirits. Locals gather, dressed mainly in white ceremonial attire, and walk to the ocean or other sources of holy water. Traditional Balinese instruments (gamelan) accompany the procession. Upon reaching the beach, all symbols of the gods are cleansed according to local rituals. Then, the Balinese proceed to the temples for worship and to seek blessings for peace and prosperity for the entire world.
Melasti Ceremony on the Padang Padang beach
Ogoh-Ogoh parade
The day before Nyepi, the streets of Bali come alive with the Ogoh-Ogoh parade, starting from noon and lasting until midnight.
These sculptures represent evil mythological creatures, symbolizing the need to keep all evil away from people. A dozen men can carry one such sculpture, shaking them during the parade to make it seem like the evil spirits come to life and begin to move. This spectacle is accompanied by music and short performances by parade participants, dressed in various masquerade costumes. Many locals and tourists gather to enjoy this lively celebration. Judges must select the best sculpture. Everything ends late in the evening, with the Ogoh-Ogohs being burnt, some sculptures are given to museums, and sometimes the sculptures are left for a few more days for people to come and see.
Photos from the Ogoh-Ogoh parade
What do we do during Nyepi? We relax and wait for evening to come to see the brightest starry sky, provided there are no clouds. Believe me, you've never seen as many stars in the sky as you can during Nyepi.
Due to the absence of artificial light from the earth's surface, the night sky reveals all its beauty on this day.
The next day, life in Bali fully resumes, starting its new cycle.
According to the Saka calendar, this year we welcomed the year 1946.
Happy New Year, folks!
Thank you for reading 💛
Yours,
Olya
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Thank you for transporting me to Bali, even though it’s for a moment. Love your photos. 🤍