Tumpek Landep, Balinese Hindus’ Day of Metal and the Full Moon of the 10th Month of Balinese Calendar

the crowd of prayers and hopes in Pasupati Temple, Sangsit Village, Buleleng

“Balinese women are so culturally strong. They wake up so early in the morning, caring for food for the family and offerings for the Niskala or invisible world, get ready to pray to temples and dozens of shrines in their villages. Meanwhile, this task will take a longer time when there is a big day on that day.  Happiness is simple for them.”

00.30 a.m., we just finished our praying procession we started in the morning the day before. It was a long long day for us. Even my mom woke up at 3 a.m. because she needed to go to the market to buy some cooking ingredients to make food for the family, and the whole day prepare the offerings used on that day. Then I more realized that Balinese women are so culturally strong. They wake up so early in the morning, caring for food for the family and offerings for the Niskala or invisible world, get ready to pray to temples and dozens of shrines in their villages. Meanwhile, this task will take a longer time when there is a big day on that day. Happiness is simple for them.

a Balinese woman managing flowers and fruits into one set of offering
Sangsit village, Buleleng

This day, 31^st of March 2018 was a really super special day. This day was quintuple (5 times) important religiously for our village. There were five rituals happening on this day; Tumpek Landep - the day of metal, the full moon of the tenth month of Balinese calendar, tebasan or odalan alit or small ceremony of our clan temple, tebasan or odalan alit of Pasupati Temple – the temple of God Pasupati or God Siwa, and odalan ageng or odalan agung or big ceremony of Desa Temple – the temple of God Brahma. The tebasan and odalan agung are conducted in order to celebrate the day of the temple’s being unveiled, practically we can say it is the anniversary of the temple. Even though we know two different kinds of ceremony; tebasan and odalan agung, Balinese women like my mother are still preparing the same offerings to be offered for the deities and demonic spirits or the deities’ followers.

a Balinese woman offers an offering to God Wisnu in Pasupati Temple, Sangsit Village, Buleleng

the crowd of prayers and hopes in Pasupati temple, Sangsit village, Buleleng

In my village, there is a unique tradition done by the people on every odalan agung or big ceremony of a temple. Starting from 6 p.m. on that day, we stay awake around the temple area until 12 in the midnight. Every family will sit together on a carpet or a mat they bring to the temple. In the front of them, there is punjung aapan, is an offering offered to the souls of the family’s ancestors that are not being cremated in the Ngaben or funeral ceremony. They say that these souls are still in the underworld, not being cremated means not being placed in the ‘up’, in the deities’ world. These souls are said maybe coming to the temple to also pray there and ngaturang ngayah joining the ceremony procession. Therefore, these family provide them with the offerings, as well as their bakti or devotion to them. To wrap all of this, the tradition is named as Ngaap.

Ngaap tradition and punjung aapan in Desa Temple, Sangsit village, Buleleng

Basically, all full moon and dark moon periods are important for Balinese Hindu people. They believe that on those periods, they should pray and worship the God in order to create the balance in their lives.

In addition, full moon or purnama in Balinese and Indonesian language has a meaning of perfection; ‘purna’. On this day, Balinese Hindu people are praying and worshipping God Candra and God Ketu for gaining the perfection and bright holy light for their lives, in order to guide them to the way of Dharma or wellness.

Meanwhile, dark moon or Tilem is believed by Balinese Hindu people as the day of the God of the sun. They believe that the day of dark moon is the day where they can purify and destroy the negativity or spiritual dirt or mala. As well as it is the day where the God of the sun practicing yoga and meditation, the people believe that it is also a good day to praying for safety and health to Him.

Moreover, my grandfather ever said that this full moon on the tenth month of Balinese calendar is something special. The ninth month is where the silent day or Nyepi day is on. Then, the tenth month in Balinese language means Sasih Kedasa, where people relate the word Kedasa with Kedas, where Kedas means clean. Therefore, the full moon on the tenth month is special because after the silent day, people are hoping to be clean and purified spiritually. That is why Balinese Hindu people are as well really prioritizing this ritual. That is from the view of an elder.

Tumpek Landep in Balinese Hindu philosophy is as a proof that Balinese people still believe in animism and dynamism. Animism and dynamism are really old beliefs. They have been existing since before religions entered Indonesian archipelago until today. Animism and dynamism are original beliefs of Indonesian people that time and still applied by Balinese Hindu people in their daily life by acculturating them with the coming Hinduism from India that was brought by the priests and traders. These animism and dynamism believe that all of things in this world is having soul and we are hoped to respect those souls by offering some offerings as those souls can be helpful and beneficial in our daily lives. No exception for metals.

one of many Bali keris (courtesy of Google Image)

Tumpek Landep is a day which is associated with metals. On this day, Balinese Hindu people are worshiping God Siwa in His another authority as God Pasupati, the God of weapon. In the past, the people were only purifying and physically and spiritually cleaning Keris, a metal weapon that has similar form with a knife with wavy shape. The aim is to keep the sharpness of this Keris, so that it could be utilized well and beneficial for the people. A keris is considered having a sacred power and one of the leading powers of Balinese Hindus. A keris can be also showing the spiritual stage of somebody who is having it.

Actually, the basic concept of it is that keeping the ‘sharpness’ of mind and heart with holy knowledge and spirituality. On this day, metaphorically people symbolize their mind as keris that needs to be sharpened with holy knowledge and good conducts in order to enlighten their lives, as a guidance to keep on any adharma or evilness, negativity away as well as keep on ‘walking’ on the way of dharma or goodness, positivity. By saying to keep on any evilness away does not mean that the people want to destroy them because it is not possible and Balinese Hindus will never destroy them. Keeping on everything balanced is Balinese Hindus’ daily task. They always try to live between them, balancing the neutrality, and living in the peace. The people are always synchronizing their lives with the bad side and good side. Since they are the opposite binary and can be separated in this life. They will be always there. Always. Mankind’ task is to accept and balance these powers and find the peace between them.

visualizations of life balancing of Balinese Hindu people
Sangsit Village, Buleleng

In Balinese Hindu concepts, many are using something like metaphor in order to symbolizing what is in the people’s mind which are abstract in order to value them with more concrete treatment in the rituals and offerings. But still, the main aim is to reach the awareness in their mind and subconscious.  

fruits being used in offering making
Sangsit Village, Buleleng

Tumpek landep always falls on the seven cycle day of Saniscara or Saturday, five cycle day of Kliwon, and week or Wuku Landep in Balinese calendar. It always falls on this day every 210 days of Balinese calendar or similar as 6 months in Balinese calendar. Celebrating tumpek landep, Balinese Hindus are going to their clan temples and Kayangan Tiga temples in their villages to pray with some flowery offerings they bring.

receiving the holy water after praying from the priest in Pasupati Temple, Sangsit Village, Buleleng

Dana Punya / Punia; money donation in Desa Temple, Sangsit Village, Buleleng

Coming to a temple, Balinese Hindus are not dedicating themselves only to pray to the Gods, but socializing with others as well. On such a big day, it is one of the rare chances they get to meet family members, siblings, or neighbors that live far away from their origin. It is one of the times they can do greetings and have talks to each other while waiting for the priest having done chanting the offerings and starting the praying.

Balinese women are socializing while waiting for the priest
Sangsit Village, Buleleng

“Culture, tradition, and religion basically are the only immaterial things our ancestors inherited to their offspring. Balinese people especially are willing to preserve, maintain, and continue theirs, while going through this globalization era.”

For me myself who lives in Denpasar, it is like 2 – 3 hours to the North where my village lies in; I feel it is a great time to see many of my family members that I rarely meet. I was surprised as many of them are having kids already. They bring them along to the temple to pray and of course also socialize. In my opinion, it is not arguable anymore that culture, tradition, and religion basically are the only immaterial things our ancestors inherited to their offspring. Balinese people especially are willing to preserve, maintain, and continue theirs, while going through this globalization era.

kids are being taught in how to pray and receiving the holy water from the priest
Sangsit Village, Buleleng

In this modern era, not only sacralizing the sacred images, figures, and metallic weapons like keris of temples by conducting the rituals, Balinese Hindu people are putting offerings on every metallic things they have, like stoves, knifes, bicycles, motorcycles, even cars and aero planes. In general, cultures are dynamic and always trying to fulfill the people’s needs depending on the space and time. Not excepting Balinese culture, it is a unique and colorful culture that are growing and being grown by the people through the eras. However, the basic core of the knowledge of the belief is still the same. The modification is accepted by the people, as well as following what was inherited by the ancestors as the basic ideology.

Keris, motorcycles, cars, and aeroplane are being ritualized
(courtesy of Google Image)

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