Galungan Day is happening tomorrow, and Bali is buzzing with preparations for the big day.
Galungan and Kuningan are the Balinese Hindu festivals of the celebration of good over evil, and anyone on the island right now will have seen penjor, the tall decorated bamboo poles, installed outside every home and along every street.
Galungan is observed in Bali every 210 days according to the traditional Balinese calendar. This means that in most years the festival is observed twice, once in the first quarter of the year, and the second in the third or fourth quarter of the year.
In 2026, Galungan will only be observed once, on 17th July, with ceremonies and festivities continuing for 10 days, when Kuningan Day will be observed on 27th July 2026.
Galungan is the celebration of dharma over adharma, of good over evil. On Galungan Day, Balinese Hindus believed that the ancestral spirits visit the earthly realms to visit their families. One of the most famous elements of Galungan is the penjor.
These elaborately decorated bamboo poles are installed along every street and outside every home. They are designed to help guide the ancestors home and to honour their arrival.
One of the most famous places for tourists to see the penjor is at Penglipuran Village. The community is the only pedestrianised village remaining in Bali and is one of the most important cultural tourism attractions in Bali.
The village is both a thriving community and a kind of living museum, surrounded by an ancient and sacred bamboo forest.
Penglipuran Village is regarded as one of the best cultural tourist attractions in the world and has been named amongst the UN’s Best Tourist Villages in the World on multiple occasions. Leaders at Penglipuran Village have confirmed that this year, the village will not be hosting Galungan celebrations open for tourists and the wider public.
In a statement, Penglipuran Village shared, “In observance of Galungan Day, we would like to inform all visitors that Penglipuran Traditional Village will not be holding the usual Galungan celebrations, including the installation of penjor along the village street, in accordance with local customs and traditions.”
Adding “Penglipuran Tourism Village remains open and welcomes visitors as usual. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”
Penglipuran Village has confirmed that Galungan ceremonies will be more muted this year due to a recent death in the community.
Tourists who are due to visit Penglipuran Village in the coming week are welcome to visit as planned; all usual tourism programming will be continuing. Including access to the ancient bamboo forest.
Penglipuran Village is open to visitors 7 days a week, from 8 am to 6.30 pm. Entry for adult international tourists is IDR 50,000, and for children, IDR 30,000.
For those who were planning on visiting the community, especially to see the penjor and observe Galungan celebrations in the community, there will understandably be disappointment. Though there are still plenty of places to observe penjor all across Bali, including on residential and neighbourhood streets.
The sanctity of Galungan is already palpable throughout the island; we here at The Bali Sun have been feeling the presence rising for a few days.
Wonderful places to observe Galungan festivities over the next 10 days through to Kuningan Day include Ubud Water Palace in central Ubud, Pura Besakih, which is also known as the Mother Temple, as well as the stunning Ulun Danu Beratan, and of course, Uluwatu Temple too.
Tourists in Bali are welcome to take photos of penjor with permission from the local people. It is never appropriate to touch or move the penjors or any other ceremonial offerings.
Tourists may wish to offer their hosts a blessed Galungan, and the phrase in Balinese to remember is Rahajeng Nyanggra Rahina Galungan.
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