Purnama: why the full moon brings Bali’s temples to life, and how to share the day respectfully
On Sunday 25 October the moon will be full over Bali, and across the island we will dress in white, carry offerings to our temples and pray long into the evening. This is Purnama, the full moon, one of the holiest days in our calendar.
We, the Balinese, live by two calendars at once: the 210-day Pawukon and a lunar calendar of twelve months. Purnama marks the brightest night of each lunar month, and Tilem, the new moon, the darkest. On Purnama the moon is honoured as Sang Hyang Chandra, and the day is held to be pure, a time for prayer and for cleansing body and mind.
Many temple anniversaries, called odalan, fall on Purnama, so a full moon often means a village festival: gamelan in the courtyard, towers of fruit and flowers carried on the women’s heads, and families praying together until late. Where there is no odalan, households still bring offerings to their family temple and the village temples, and many people visit a holy spring to be cleansed with water in a ritual called melukat.
Visitors are welcome to watch, and often to join, as long as a few simple customs are kept. Wear a sarong with a sash tied at the waist when you enter a temple. Do not walk in front of people who are praying, never stand higher than the priest, and ask before taking photographs. Women who are menstruating traditionally do not enter temple grounds.
This month the full moon also falls on Kajeng Kliwon, a day that returns every fifteen days, when offerings are placed at gates and crossroads to keep restless spirits at peace, so expect more ceremony than usual. If you are staying in Ubud, ask your villa team where the nearest odalan is. An evening at a village temple on Purnama is one of the most memorable things Bali has to offer.
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