Odalan

Odalan (Temple's Birthday)

VariousHindus in Bali, an island in Indonesia, celebrate the birthday of their local temple every 210 days. Odalans commemorate the anniversary of a temple's consecration. Because the Balinese Pawukon calendar is 210 days long, this happens roughly every seven months according to the Gregorian calendar. Most often, odalans last about three days, though the festivities can go on for a week or more.
Before an odalan, people are busy preparing food and other offerings and decorating the temple. An odalan consists of worship services, presentations of such offerings as food, money, and flowers in the temple, and special anointings. After religious services, there are huge feasts, music and dancing, and puppet plays.
CONTACTS:
Indonesian Embassy
2020 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-775-5200; fax: 202-775-5365
www.embassyofindonesia.org
SOURCES:
FestWrld: Indonesia-1997, p. 12
IntlThFolk-1979, p. 220