Bali : Pesta Lomba Ogoh-Ogoh

Finally my first post for Bali, that I'm sure some of you are waiting for. When we were in Bali, we (referring to me, my mum and sister) were in for something relaxing and rejuvinating whilst exploring temples and soaking feet into the sand with much Balinese architecture. Well, this is the place for Eat, Pray, Love. Yes, we were. In fact, so much of relaxing and rejuvination that we were'nt allowed out from the hotel grounds.

We were not aware of the Nyepi Festival that was happening in Bali. We thought it was just another festival where people were merry. You that kind of celebration where there's much fun and laughter all the way. We were soo wrong! So wrong I tell you. If you'Re going to visit Bali during the Nyepi Festival of the Balinese calender, you better brace yourself. Much will be explained about the festival in the next post.

So we arrived Bali on the 4th of March. A day after we celebrated my mums 50th birthday. It was her treat for the family. The three of us went on a hoilday to Bali for the weekend. Compared to Malaysia, Bali is hot. Maybe because it's an island. But it was really hot and you can burn yourseld being out only for a little while without any sunblock on. There was a lot of commotion going on. A lot of roads were closed and the taxi line in the airport was very long (they only had one taxi booth) and most of the taxi drivers were waiting to rip off tourists with their high rates.

On arrival. We were so excited!

After much lining up and waiting, we finally got to the hotel. That is after dragging our luggage from Kuta Square to Kuta Seaview Spa resort, where we were staying. The taxi could'nt send us directly to the hotel because most roads were closed. For what you may ask. On the eve of Nyepi, a Ngrupuk Parade takes place. This is the Ogoh-Ogoh competition aka Pesta Lomba Ogoh-Ogoh. This year in Kuta itself, 13 Ogoh-Ogohs are competing to win the title for the best Ogoh-Ogoh.

Waiting for the first troop to arrive.

The Pencalangs (Religious Security Force) making sure everyones opening up enough room for the first team.

What's an Ogoh-Ogoh you may ask. An Ogoh-Ogoh is a statue made out of paper-mache'. It's not tiny. It's huge and "monsterous". An Ogoh-Ogoh normally takes form of mythological beings for example a demon or a devil. Why? I'll explain later. Months before the parade, villagers will gather its finest artists, designer and sculpturer to build an ogoh-ogoh. It's all about team work. It's amazing how they can come out with this.

During the parade, there will be a team of performers who would perform a mystical tale or a ritual and of course those who carry the Ogoh-Ogoh. It take about 8 to 10 men to carry one huge sculpture. The Ogoh-Ogoh will be paraded around the area to cleanse it from evil spirits and will end with a 15 minute ritual/performance by the team.

She is suppose to be fighting the demons

The reason an Ogoh-Ogoh is in the form of a demon is because it is believed that the Ogoh-Ogoh attracts the evil spirits and will trap them. After cleansing the town, the Ogoh-Ogohs will be brought to the beaches to be burned or slayed. this is their way of cleansing that certain area for the new year which is the day after Nyepi.

The third and fourth Ogoh-Ogoh

We only stayed till the fourth Ogoh-Ogoh. The crowd was so restless and they kept pushing and shoving. Some would bring their kids as an excuse to go through the huge crowd to get to the front. Only one kid and five adults using him. We could not stand any longer. We went to stand at the back and had some jagung bakar. Theirs is quite nice because you can choose a sweet and spicy one. Spicy means really spicy! It really was. You can ask for the normal one if you like.

Before we headed back to the hotel, the fourth team just finished. So we waited at the side to watch the performers head back. We had no idea who won the competition.

Aren't Balinese girls pretty?