An odalan community festival takes place every 210 days, or once a year during a particular full moon, to mark the “birthday” or dedication of a temple. It can be a brief one-day affair or an elaborate event that goes on for weeks and involves months of preparation. The most important of Balinese festivals is Galungan. During this time, the deified ancestors descend from heaven and take up residence in their family temples, where they are worshipped by their descendants for five days. As part of the festivities, all over the island streets are lined with penjor, tall bamboo poles decorated with palm-leaf ornaments, fruits, and biscuits.

When you visit Bali, you’ll quickly notice that daily offering are an important, integral part of daily life for the Balinese. And that’s partly what makes Bali so unique and charming: regularly seeing the locals dressed in traditional ceremonial clothing, carrying baskets of fruit/flower offerings, going off to temples or beaches or friends’ homes to attend the seemingly never-ending series of ceremonies.