One doesn't have to be the island for very long to appreciate that Balinese life seems to be an endless parades of rites and ceremonies. The combination of Hindu religious rituals and the local "adat istiadat" of the Balinese result in a cycle of event which paces the sun and the moon through the season. Ceremonies also mark the procession of human life from the womb to the grave.
The various ceremonies center on different parts of Balinese life. Ceremonies for the Gods are much different than the ceremonies for human. For example,"Odalan" is a ceremonies for the Godsand the anniversary of a temple;this is the time when God is invited to bless the daily prayers in that temple.
Two of the most visible ceremonies are concerned with human. "Metatah" or the tooth-filing ceremony, is for Balinese 16-18 years of age. This ceremony is as a sign of maturity and indicates that the kids have reached the age where they need more guidance, love and care from their parent. Perhaph the best known ceremony is "Ngaben", the cremation ceremony to purify the soul of the death. Many visitors to Bali find themself enthralled by the cremation ritual, which can go for days with much pomp and celebration.
Another highly visible ceremony is "Galungan", which occurs every 210 days (it's timed to the Balinese calender). this Balinese festival celebrates a day of victory againts an the notorius Mayadenawa, an evil king that ruled in Bali in centuries ago. "Kuningan day", 10 days after Galungan, is the day to commemorate the spirit of the heroes who were killed during the battle againt Mayadenawa.
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