Purnama Kedasa

Purnama Kedasa is a Balinese celebration which is held following the appearance of the full moon. It is an elaborate affair for the locals with thousands coming outside to pay their respects.

The appearance of the full moon marks a special day for various traditional festivities. This is evident with the resplendent ceremonies at the island’s innumerable Hindu Temples. The reason for this is that locals believe this is the day that God comes down on earth in order to bless its inhabitants.

As part of these blessings, god also honours his people by bringing prosperity to the land. In order to honour this day, locals will usually make offerings at the temples as well as at their homes. The offerings consist of fresh foods, fruits and colourful flowers which is a true testament to the traditions that the locals have held on to over the years.

Making offerings is often accompanied by the performance of various rituals. This includes bathing in holy waters as an act of cleansing, burning incense in order to chase away evil spirits as well as the use of flower petals and grains of rice.

The occurrence of the full moon happens many times in any given year. For this reason, Purnama Kedasa is celebrated on multiple days every month. Depending on the time of your visit, you may be excited to find out that the full moon celebrations will be held around the time you are in Bali. Do not hesitate to interact with the locals during this period of time. It is probably the best way to learn more about their rich culture.