How are Ogoh-Ogoh constructed?

The Young Men's Association in each village (desa) or neighborhood (banjar) use inspiration from the Balinese Hindu gods and goddesses for their designs.

Construction starts with a frame of wood, bamboo or rattan, and wire mesh.

(1) Here you can see "balls" being used to provide rounded buttocks and belly.

(2) Once the torso shape is established, layers of newspaper are applied.






(3) Then a base coat of paint, and the hands and feet are attached.




Examples of some of the final products...

(1) This one has the woven "balls" inside.



(2) This is the witch Rangda - shown above with newspaper applied.


And a close-up of her face and her foot.

















(3) And this pair were the ones with a base coat of paint above.

Bali's own New Year - Nyepi

Bali’s Nyepi Day - March 7, 2008, marked the Balinese New Year. The exact date of Nyepi varies slightly each year, as it is based on a Lunar calendar - usually near Easter.

On the day before, each village display Ogoh-Ogoh. These are papier-mache "statues" created by the Young Men's Association in each village (desa) or neighborhood (banjar). They are mounted on bamboo platforms. In the late afternoon, you’ll hear firecrackers and small cannons made from bamboo. And around sunset, there is an island wide parade of Ogoh-Ogoh to transform negative energy and drive off the evil spirits.

Nyepi Day itself is a Day of Silence. Having driven off the evil spirits, everyone must now stay quiet for 24 hours (sunrise 7th to sunrise 8th), so that the spirits will think everyone has gone, and there is no one left in Bali for them to bother for the next year - or at least, that's the explanation for children and tourists.

Businesses are closed, except for hotels. No cars, buses, or motorcycles will be on the roads. And Bali is the only place I know of where the government shuts down the airport for meditation & introspection! Balinese stay in their family compounds, dedicating an entire day to introspection and cleansing - intelectual, emotional, and physical. The entire island becomes quiet. There are no cars, no tv's or loud radios, no lamps or fires and no airplanes overhead.

New Year's Eve in Bali

Panorama Hotel in Ubud, Bali, holds a New Year's Eve party every year. Last year, I arrived jet-lagged and my photos reflected it. This year, I was so well-rested that I did a bit of dancing, and even led the Limbo line. (No photo of me doing that, of course!)

Being Bali, the decorations are an interesting mixture. Bali is primarily Hindu. Many tourists are Chinese (the Buddha) or Christian (the Christmas tree).

This year's celebration included a local rock-and-roll band, playing old standards as well as current Indonesian "Dangdut" - pop music.

Panorama is proud to have several guests who return every year.

They were presented with small gift baskets as a token of appreciation.

In spite of a thunderstorm (or maybe because of it!), there were a variety of other guests, too.

From the very young,

to the young-at-heart,

to those using wheelchairs (Panorama is one of the few restaurants in Ubud without steps to climb).

Some dancers were Competitive Ballroom quality,

others a bit more free-wheeling.

Conga lines with restaurant and kitchen staff...

Limbo with both guests...

and staff.

As you see, a real melting pot (or salad bowl?) of nationalities, races, ages, religions, sizes, shapes, and abilities.

Statues added at Villa

The landscaping near the Spa has grown in nicely, thanks to the rainy season.
A recent shopping trip brought a new statue.
Placed in the niche by a villa's front door (yes, double-doors secured by a padlock – very common in Bali).
Genesha is regarded by the Balinese as the god of knowledge and justice. The Indian Hindu also know him as the “remover of obstacles.”
Just inside the front door, Saraswati now resides in a larger niche in the living room.
Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and the arts.
Her escorts are swans. On her special day in Bali, books are offered for blessing by her.