Woman’s Period According to Hindu-Balinese Culture

Balinese women completed with sarung covering their legs are making offerings in the priest's compound
Bakung Village, Sukasada, Buleleng, Singaraja. 2017.

For some particular reasons, this topic of writing needs to be risen up in order to answer the misunderstanding happening especially in the mind of tourists who have travelled and visited temples in Bali. Nevertheless, this brief writing is more than happy having your comments or adds to improve it.

Until this time, I have been tutoring and being an Indonesian Language and Culture for overseas students classes’ teaching assistant in the university for five years. During those five years, replacing some Indonesian Culture classes especially Balinese Culture classes in workshops and excursions; I had been asked many times by many curious overseas students regarding to Bali and its colorful, as well as unique culture as Hindu-Balinese. Because many of them are aware that Bali is not only about beautiful views, beaches and Bintang beers. Bali is also enriched by the Balinese culture and Hindu belief that are synchronized in everyday people’s routine and action.

Rejang Dewa dance (a sacred Wali dance) can be danced only by teenagers and not in puberty period yet
Dalem temple, the temple of God Siwa, Sangsit Village, Buleleng, Singaraja. 2016. 

Basically, the students are staying in Bali for four months (one semester). And during these four months, they could observe Bali island and some smaller islands close to it such as: Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and/or Gili Air which are also known as water sport activities islands, like snorkeling and diving. Not only observing the islands, they are also experiencing an eastern culture that for them is super duper different than their western culture.

Once in the class, we discussed about their trip after the two-week semester break. The students were really enthusiastic to heal their wonder, they seemed like “Finally I can get the answer of my curiosity and I can sleep well tonight!” for me. Some usual questions related to the culture were like: “Why do Balinese people have that shrine in their compounds? How does it function? Because I see it in every single Balinese house.”, “What are Balinese people doing with the flowery offerings daily?”, “I was invited to a tooth filing ceremony last week. How they do that? Isn’t it dangerous?” until arguable questions like “Do Balinese people have long nails? Because I saw somebody did. Is it a sign of something?”

It was coming a time when we would go for an excursion visiting the mother earth temple in Bali, Besakih Temple. It is the biggest temple in Bali located in the eastern part of the island. In the class, I told the students that we were going to the temple and they needed to wear their Balinese attire which they already bought and tried to wear it in the earlier Traditional Market and Balinese Costume Workshop. And whenever we will visit a sacred place in Bali, such as a temple, we always remind them that for them who are having period on the day we visit the place, they can join us but not getting into the place. So, they can just stay outside of the sacred area.

Moreover, while I could see some faces changed because they knew that they could not join into the place, a female student raised her hand and asked me with a full of confusion; “Why is it like that? What is wrong with woman’s period?” Then another student suddenly gave her opinion, that she ever read a book mentioning that in Balinese culture a woman who has period or menstruation is considered impure, not holy, and having negative auras. Therefore, she cannot enter any sacred places because it will influence the holiness of the places. Then the rest started giving their arguments that they valued Balinese culture as a culture that is underestimating women, disrespecting women’s emancipation that women cannot go wherever they want to, not recognizing that men and women are equal where men are higher in status.

two Balinese women are practicing to sing the ballads used in the funeral ceremony
Bakung Village, Sukasada, Buleleng, Singaraja. 2017.

I saved all of those comments and waited until they were done with their arguments, through the western perspective.

Probably, there was an issue regarding to women’s emancipation in the past in Balinese Culture – even before the Indonesia’s independence. The highest appreciation and thanks are addressed to R.A. Kartini, the Indonesia’s hero of women’s emancipation. In this present era, Balinese Culture and Balinese People are giving a big recognition and concern to women’s emancipation. The men and women’s equality is also having their attention. So, it is for sure not an issue of women’s emancipation.

Balinese Hindu people, as even casual tourists get informed this by their tour guide, are known having triad system as depicted in their three main gods; Brahma – Wisnu – Siwa, this triad system can also be seen in how they divide the world (loka); Bhur – Bhuwah – Swah, where Swah is the God and Goddesses’ world and heaven, Bhuwah is the living beings world or the earth, and Bhur is underworld and hell. Balinese Hindu people also believe in the duality as well as the binary opposite powers that are as one and cannot be separated in order to keep the balance of the universe and lives. These duality that is so popularly known by the people is Sekala and Niskala. Sekala is the visible world, later known as the mankind’s world. Meanwhile, Niskala is the invisible world, later known as the Butha and Kala world. Butha and Kala are also coming up from the underworld or Bhur Loka as mentioned earlier.

Bhutas and Kalas are the negative force, evilness power that are needed in order to keep the balance of the universe. It is similar to Yin and Yang in Chinese belief. These Bhutas and Kalas are so attracted to blood, which is why most of the offerings for the underworld creatures are completed with fresh blood and/or raw animal meats. In this case, we do concern with women and the women’s safety. So, instead of praying to temples, we want them to be at home, taking care of themselves, as well as fence themselves with awareness and spiritual defense in order to push the negative spirits away. This is not only for Balinese women, also for anyone who wants to visit Hindu temples, no exception for tourists.

Furthermore, this knowledge is not only for women’s period or menstruation. Even men if they have injured body parts that allow blood come out, they will be not allowed to going in to temples. It has the same understanding as before that the underworld creatures are so attracted to blood.

I do not expect this happening, however, if something bad would happen in a temple, for example a drop of blood from someone’s body falls down onto the temple’s area, there would be a big ceremony in order to purify and cleanse spiritually and physically the holiness of the Taksu (spirit, charisma, force, aura) of the temple.

Thank you for reading. This blog is open for shares, building comments and adds in order to improve the writings.