“Odalan” is a blanket term for the religious ceremonies in Bali.They range from small to massive, and occur based on the Balinese calendar. You can say that almost every day the Balinese have an odalan!
There are many types of odalan in Bali. They are commonly distinguished by either the scale of the ceremony or the date on which they are supposed to be conducted.
Usually, there are daily, weekly, monthly, and annual odalan that follow the rules of the Balinese calendar. The rule of thumb is: the further apart an odalan, the bigger it usually is. Annual ceremonies are almost always bigger than daily ones. The community relies on priests to decide when an odalan should be conducted, especially the larger ones. For example, every five days on the Balinese calendar is known as Kajeng Kliwon. It is considered a sacred day and a small odalan is conducted at homes. Mothers usually make or buy more offerings than usual to be presented to the gods. Kajeng Kliwon is one of those smaller odalan which every Balinese family knows by heart, therefore, doesn’t require the aid of a priest. It’s small, so people only do the proceedings at their own homes and don’t have to go to a temple. Another example is Purnama, an odalan that happens every full moon. The Balinese often go to temples to pray, or can pray at home. However, for monthly or annual odalan at temples or villages, the people consult with the priests to determine the best day to commence the odalan.
There are also predetermined odalan that happen simultaneously across the island. These are known as Rahinan Jagat, or “Universal Ceremonies”. You might know some examples. Nyepi, for instance, is an annual rahinan jagat that occurs in April – May to celebrate the Saka New Year. Galungan and Kuningan, which are rahinan jagat to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, occurs every six months. Siwa Ratri happens every year and is said to be the darkest of nights. It is the day when the Balinese stay up all night to meditate and pray to Shiva.
An example of a large-scale annual odalan is Bhatara Turun Kabeh, which happens annually at the mother temple, Besakih. The Balinese flock in numbers to Besakih to pray and give their respects to the gods.
There’s also one of the most massive odalan in Bali. It only happens every century at Besakih temple and is known as the Eka Dasa Rudra. Unfortunately, I haven’t lived long enough to witness it.
