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LOMBOK FESTIVALS
All three Lombok
religions have their own holidays and festivals, with most
of them taking place at the beginning of the rainy season
(October to December) or at harvest time (April to May). At
these times there are celebrations in villages all over the
island, and people dress in their finest gear. Wooden horses
and lions are carried in processions through the streets and
there's nowhere to escape the sound of the gamelan.
Islamic festivials a Wektu Telu festival held in defence of
the Muslim period of abstinence. Three days of fasting and
prayer begin at the same time as Ramadan (the date changes
every year) when everyone fasts between sunup and sunset to
conform to the fourth pillar of Islam. Ramadan ends with a
huge feast, Eid al-Fitr, where everyone prays together,
visits friends, gives presents and stuffs themselves full of
the glorious food that is prepared especially for this
occasion. Eid al-Adah, another moveable event, is the other
big feast of the year and marks the time when Muslims should
make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Other events include Pura Meru
a Bali Hindu ceremony celebrated on the June full moon at
the temple in Cakranegara, Perang Ketupat, a rain festival
held in Lingsar between October and December where
celebrants pray and fling sticky rice at each other, and
Pujawali, a Bali Hindu celebration honouring the god Batara
who lives on Gunung Rinjani.
Note: Muslim festivals are timed according to local
sightings of various phases of the Moon and the dates given
above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan
that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and
feast at night and normal business patterns may be
interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and
there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some
disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr
and Eid al-Adha may last anything from two to ten days,
depending on the region. For more information see the World
of Islam appendix.
MoonBuddhist festivals are also timed according to phases of
the moon and variations may occur. Christian festivals on
the other hand occur according to the western calendar.
Festivals held on Lombok.
Nyale FestivalNyale Festival (February or March) (Also known
as the Nyale Fishing Festival) Is a major Sasak celebration
on the south coast associated with nyale fish.
Desa Bersih Desa Bersih (First Thursday in April) celebrates
the harvest and is when houses and gardens are cleaned,
fences washed and roads and paths repaired. Once held to rid
the villages of evil spirits it is now held to honour Dewi
Sri, the goddess of rice.
Harvest CeremonyHarvest Ceremony (March or April) is held at
Gunung Pensong, near Mataram, as a thanksgiving for a good
harvest. This Bali Hindu ceremony involves dragging a
buffalo up a steep hill then slaughtering it for sacrifice
(definitely not for the squeemish).
Pura MeruPura Meru (June) is a special Hindu ceremony held
at full moon in the Balinese Pura Meru temple at Cakranegara
in Mataram.
Puasa Puasa (October or November) is a Wektu Telu festival
held in deference to the Muslim period os abstinence, the 3
days of fasting and prayer beginning at the same time as
Ramadan.
RamadanRamadan is one of, if not the most important festival
on the Muslim calendar and involves prayers to Allah and
fasting from sun-up to sun-set for a full lunar month.
Puasa Idul Fitri (November or December) also known as Hari
Raya is the first day of the 10th month of the Muslim
calendar and the end of Ramadan. It is traditional during
this time, to travel to visit one's home village thus many
Indonesians travel during this period.
Hari Raya KetupatHari Raya Ketupat (held 7 days after
Ramadan) also called Learan Topat is another Wektu Telu
celebration held at Batulayar near Senggigi.
Idul Adha, (held 2 months after the end of Ramadan) is a day
of sacrifice and is held on the 10th day of the 11th month
of the Muslim calendar.
Maulud Nabi MohammedMaulud Nabi Mohammed (12th day of the
12th month of the Muslim calendar) also caled Hari Natal is
Mahommad's birthday celebration.
Isra Miraj Nabi MohammedIsra Miraj Nabi Mohammed (October)
is a festival celebrating the ascension of Mohammed.
Perang Ketupat also called Perang Topat (between October and
December) is the annual rain festival held at Lingsar, near
Mataram. Adherants of the Wektu Telu religion and Balinese
Hindu's give offerings and pray at the temple, then come out
and pelt each other with sticky rice (ketupat) wrapped in
banana leaves.
Danau Segara AnakPujawali is a Balininese Hindu celebration
held every year at Pura Kalasa temple in Namada, near
Mataram, in honour of the god Batara, who dwells on Lombok's
most sacred mountain, Gunung Rinjani. At the same time they
make the trek up and then down to Danau Segara Anak (the
lake) and hold another ceremony called Pekelan, where they
throw gold trinkets or objects into the lake. |
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