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Galungan flag (Balinese holiday), Indonesia

image located by Dominique Cureau, 16 September 2012

Description of the Flag

Description of the flag

Galungan is a Balinese holiday celebrating the victory of dharma over adharma. It marks the beginning of the most important recurring religious ceremonies. The spirits of deceased relatives who have died and been cremated return to visit their former homes, and the current inhabitants have a responsibility to be hospitable through prayers and offerings. The most obvious sign of the celebrations are the penjor - bamboo poles weighed down by offerings suspended at the end. On the top of penjor, people place a flag white and yellow. On this flag, there is the design of trinity Shiva-Vishnu-Brahma, the AUM (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om). The white, purity, and yellow, prosperity, are the dominant colors in Bali during these days. The last day of the celebration is Kuningan, when spirits return. The date is calculated according to the 210-day Balinese calendar. For 2012, Galungan was the August 29th and Kuningan the September 8th.
Dominique Cureau, 16 September 2012