Bali Culture – Tumpek Kandang
The celebration of Tumpek Kandang
Today is Tumpek Kandang in Bali, a special day to honour pets, livestock and household animals. Celebrated every 210 days, various offerings will be made to thank the Lord Shiva Pasupati,(a manifestation of God who created the animals), for a successful year of farming, bountiful harvest and excellent quality produce.
On this day, prayers are offered as cows are washed and dressed-up in clothes fit for humans. Special cone shaped coconut leaves are also placed on their horns. Prayers are recited for other livestock such as pigs, goats, chickens and ducks. Even the pig in the Hindu community in Bali is often used as aToday is Tumpek Kandang in sort of saving or piggy bank. When people hold celebrations, the pigs are slaughtered or, in emergency cases they can be sold to raise money, but today Pigs are usually decorated with white cloths around their bellies.
The animals are then fed with special foods and sprinkled with rice and holy water. The Tumpek Kandang celebration is a reminder that everyone must have compassion for all living creatures and not to ignore any care to animals because they are a force of nature. The name Tumpek Kandang is derived from two words, “Tumpek” which means Saturday and “Kandang”, the Balinese word for household animals such as cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, dogs, and birds.
At the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud a ceremony is conducted for the safety and health of the monkeys and other animals because the monkeys in the forest especially play an important role in the social and economic life of the Padangtegal village. After the ritual procession is over, the monkeys are given special food which is not given on usual days such as eggs, grapes, carrots and other fruits.
There is a special day for everything in Bali, animals, machinery, the sea, the list is endless and that’s why we love Bali so much. Each ceremony is colourful and musical, a sight to behold for a visiting tourist.
Want to check out some of the Bali Culture for yourself, then take a look at some of our land tours