Basics - The Rough Guide to Bali and Lombok - page 62

Another annual event, Saraswati , in honour of the goddess of knowledge, takes place on
the last day of the wuku year. Topics are particularly venerated and the faithful are not sup-
posed to read, while students attend special ceremonies to pray for academic success. Other
annual festivals are Tumpek Kandang , when all animals are blessed, and Tumpek Landep ,
a day of devotion to all things made of metal, including tools, motorbikes, cars and buses.
Nonreligious anniversaries that are celebrated in Bali include April 21, Kartini Day , com-
memorating the birthday in 1879 of Raden Ajeng Kartini, an early Indonesian nationalist and
the first female emancipationist. Parades, lectures and social events are attended by women,
while the men and children take over their duties for the day. September 20, the anniversary
of the Badung puputan in Denpasar in 1906, is commemorated each year by a fair in Alun-
alun Puputan. November 20 is Heroes Day in Bali, in remembrance of the defeat of the na-
tionalist forces led by Ngurah Rai at Marga in 1946.
The huge month-long Arts Festival ( baliartsfestival.com ) celebrates all Balinese arts and
is held annually at Denpasar's Taman Werdi Budaya Arts Centre, usually from mid-June.
Watersports competitions and parades are the highlights of the Kuta Karnival , which runs
for a week, usually in September. Up in Ubud, there's the Bali Spirit Festival of world
music, dance and yoga every March ( balispiritfestival.com ) and the Ubud Writers and
Readers Festival ( ubudwritersfestival.com ), with talks and workshops from an interna-
tional cast of writers, every October.
Lombok's festivals
Lombok's festivals are a mixture of Hindu, Muslim and local folk events. Ciwaratri (in
Jan) is celebrated by Hindus in West Lombok, where followers meditate without sleeping or
eating for 24 hours to redeem their sins. A far more public occasion is Nyale which takes
place every February or March near Kuta and along the south coast, attracting thousands of
people to witness the first appearance of the sea worms. The Anniversary of West Lom-
bok , a formal government event, takes place on April 17. Harvest festival is celebrated by
Balinese Hindus in March/April at Gunung Pengsong, when they give thanks for the harvest
by the ritual slaughter of a buffalo. Lebaran Topat occurs seven days after Ramadan, when
Sasak people visit family graves and the grave of Loang Baloq on the edge of Mataram.
In November or December comes Perang Topat , informally known as the Ketupat War ,
a riotous and spectacular public rice-throwing battle between local Hindus and Wetu Telu
followers that takes place at Pura Lingsar in Mataram. Also around this time, offerings are
made at Gunung Rinjani's crater lake, Segara Anak, to ask for blessings, known as Pekelem ,
and the Pujawali celebration is held at Pura Kalasa temple at Narmada, at Pura Lingsar and
at Pura Meru in Mataram. December 17 marks the anniversary of the political founding
of West Nusa Tenggara . Finally, Chinese New Year (Imlek) sees many Chinese-run busi-
nesses closing for two days in January or February.