Tumpek Holidays

Not only do they celebrate annual holidays, Balinese people also celebrate numerous other occasions, such as the full moon & new moon, the anniversary of their temples, and the days called “Tumpek”. Throughout the Pawukon cycle, which lasts 210 days, there are six auspicious days that are known as Tumpek. These Tumpek Holidays usually fall on a Saturday. The six Balinese Tumpek are listed below, you might want to check out some Tumpek ceremonies when you’re on the island over these dates.

Tumpek Landep

Tumpek landep is a celebration in honor of the god of weaponry: Sang Hyang Pasupati. Just like the other tumpek holidays, Tumpek landep is celebrated every 210 days. Nowadays we know this Balinese holiday is the manifestation of gratefulness for metal objects. But it goes a bit deeper than just this.
Future Tumpek Landep
  • 13 February 2021
  • 11 September 2021
  • 9 April 2022
  • 5 November 2022

Tumpek Uduh

Tumpek Uduh is another one of the multiple Tumpek holidays. For this one in particular, Balinese people make offerings to the Lord of all food, Sanghyang Sangkara, in exchange for healthy crops and good food throughout the year.
On this day all across the island of Bali, you’ll find people making blessings and partaking in ceremonies at every farm and plantation. No plant is exempt from these blessings, which—as a whole—aim to keep nature in balance. Moreover, it’s a way for the Balinese people to show their respect to the trees, which is exactly where you’ll find them partaking in their celebrations (the shade of the trees, to be exact). This practice follows the Hindu belief that trees and plants are living brothers of humans themselves. Overall, it’s a real site to see, and travelers and locals alike can appreciate the uniqueness of this important Balinese holiday.

Future Tumpek Uduh

  • 22 August 2020
  • 20 March 2021
  • 16 October 2021
  • 14 May 2022
  • 10 December 2022

Tumpek Kuningan

Perhaps the most well known of all tumpek holidays, tumpek Kuningan is celebrated on the Saturday after Galungan. We’ve dedicated a separate page to Galungan and Kuningan as they both are important holidays in Bali.

Future Tumpek Kuningan
  • 26 September 2020
  • 24 April 2021
  • 20 November 2021
  • 18 June 2022

Tumpek Krulut

Similar to the previously mentioned Tumpek Holidays in Bali, Tumpek Krulut is another Tumpek holiday where Balinese people make an effort to give offerings in exchange for blessings. However, Tumpek Krulut differs in that the offerings are made to Balinese gamelen, or percussion, instruments for the god Siwanataraja.

The purpose of the offerings to these gong instruments is to bring peace and balance in life through the form of entertainment and art. The name of the holiday derived from the work lulut, which means to blend with beauty so the mind becomes at peace. The instruments create holy sounds, and the prayers on Tumpek Krulut aim to keep the beauty of these sounds going for harmony in music and, of course, in life as a whole. Traveling or exploring the island during this Balinese holiday means you’ll encounter music and prayers galore, and we think that’s a beautiful thing.

Future Tumpek Krulut

  • 31 October 2020
  • 29 May 2021
  • 25 December 2021
  • 23 July 2022

Tumpek Kandang

Tumpek Kandang is a Balinese Holiday dedicated to Sang Hyang Rare Angon, the god of all cattle and livestock. Household animals, such as pigs, cows, ducks, and birds deserve extra attention on this day.

Prayers are offered and at the end of the ceremony, the animals are sprinkled with holy water and rice, before they receive a special meal. In general in Bali cows are looked after very well. This is because a lot of farmers still depend on them when plowing the fields. On this day said livestock is washed and dressed-up in clothes that are fit for humans. A special cone-shaped spiral of coconut leaves is placed on each of the cow’s horns. Pigs, on the other hand, are wrapped with a white cloth around their belly.

Overall, the meaning of Tumpek Kandang is not only to pray for successful farming and animal welfare it’s also meant to raise awareness for the harmony of the environment which contributes to human sustenance and happiness. After all, without animals, the traditional cycle of life would be severely interrupted.

Future Tumpek Kandang

  • 6 December 2020
  • 4 July 2021
  • 30 January 2022
  • 28 August 2022

Tumpek Wayang

Another popular Tumpek holiday in Bali is Tumpek Wayang. On this Saturday the local puppeteers are dedicating prayers to their puppets with the intention of honoring the Lord Iswara.

A salients point here is that, although Tumpek Wayang is a special holiday for puppeteers and their wayang puppets, it is considered very unlucky if a baby is born on this day. What the Balinese believe is that the little one is prone to illness and injury from Kala, the demon god. If a mother gives birth on Tumpek Wayang, a special ceremony has to be performed to purify the baby and protect it from harm. With the help of a specific set of puppets, a dalang carries out the Tumpek Wayang ceremony. He makes holy water, also known as toya penglukatan, that is used to purify the baby.

Future Tumpek Wayang

  • 9 January 2021
  • 7 August 2021
  • 5 March 2022
  • 1 October 2022

More Balinese Holidays

The Balinese love their celebrations and ceremonies. Learn more about Nyepi Day and other festivities in the Balinese Holidays section of our website.

And did you know that we designed a special trip to a traditional Balinese village, where you’ll learn all about offerings and the making of canang sari?