Galungan and Kuningan in Bali: Dates, Meaning and What to Expect

Galungan and Kuningan are two of the most visible holy days in Bali. For about ten days, tall decorated bamboo poles curve over every road, families dress up and head to their temples, and the island feels like it is celebrating at once. Galungan is the start of the season and Kuningan, ten days later, is its close.

The festivals follow the 210-day Pawukon calendar, so they come around twice in some years and once in others. If you live here you will see them more than once a year.

Dates

Year	Galungan (Wednesday)	Kuningan (Saturday)
2025	23 April and 19 November	3 May and 29 November
2026	17 June	27 June
2027	13 January and 11 August	23 January and 21 August
2028	8 March and 4 October	18 March and 14 October

The 2025 and 2026 dates have passed, and Galungan 2026 on 17 June was the only one of the year. The next Galungan is on Wednesday 13 January 2027, with Kuningan on Saturday 23 January. The Ministry of Religion's Hindu directorate has published the 2027 dates. The 2028 dates come from Balinese calendar sources and will be confirmed when the official list for that year appears.

Galungan is always a Wednesday, the day called Buda Keliwon Dungulan. Kuningan is always a Saturday, Saniscara Keliwon Kuningan. They are 210 days apart from the previous year's pair, which is why the Gregorian dates move.

What is celebrated

Galungan marks the victory of dharma, which is order, righteousness and truth, over adharma. In Balinese understanding, the deities and the spirits of ancestors who have been cremated come down to visit their family homes and temples, and their descendants welcome them with prayers and offerings. Kuningan marks the end of the visit, when they return. Ceremonies on Kuningan are meant to finish by midday, because after that the visitors are said to have gone back.

The penjor, a tall, curved bamboo pole hung with coconut leaves, rice, fruit and cakes, is an offering to Mahadewa, the deity linked with Mount Agung. Households put one up outside the gate on the day before Galungan.

The festival also has a household side. Families clean and renew the offerings at their family temple (merajan), cook special food and visit relatives. The practices differ between villages, and Balinese Hindus themselves point out that ritual varies by place, time and circumstance.

The days around Galungan

Names and activities come from the Pawukon. Here is the sequence for the January 2027 Galungan, with the August 2027 dates in brackets.

Day	Name	What happens
Thursday 7 January (5 August)	Sugihan Jawa	Offerings and cleansing at the family temple; the gods are said to descend
Friday 8 January (6 August)	Sugihan Bali	Personal cleansing, prayers for purity
Sunday 10 January (8 August)	Penyekeban	Self-control; bananas are stored to ripen for the offerings
Monday 11 January (9 August)	Penyajaan	Making jaja, the fried rice cakes for the offerings
Tuesday 12 January (10 August)	Penampahan Galungan	Animals are slaughtered for the feast; penjor go up; rites at the gate after sunset
Wednesday 13 January (11 August)	Galungan	Prayers and offerings at the temples
Thursday 14 January (12 August)	Manis Galungan (Umanis Galungan)	Visiting family; purification at the ancestors' shrine
Saturday 16 January (14 August)	Pemaridan Guru	Prayers of thanks; the gods are said to start returning
Sunday 17 January (15 August)	Ulihan	Offerings as the deities return to their shrines
Monday 18 January (16 August)	Pemacekan Agung	Evening offerings at the gate to send the negative forces of Galungan on their way
Friday 22 January (20 August)	Penampahan Kuningan	Preparation for Kuningan
Saturday 23 January (21 August)	Kuningan	Prayers and offerings until midday

The day after Kuningan is called Manis Kuningan and is traditionally a day for outings and family time. About five weeks after Galungan, on Wednesday 17 February 2027 (15 September), comes Buda Keliwon Pegatuwakan, when thanks are offered that Galungan and Kuningan passed safely.

What visitors and residents notice

Penjor. From Penampahan Galungan every road is lined with them. Many stay up for some time afterwards. They are typically five to ten metres tall, and the way they are made and decorated differs from household to household.

Roads and traffic. Many people travel to the villages of their families and to their ancestral temples, so roads in and out of the main towns can be busier than usual in the days before Galungan and on Kuningan. Families on motorbikes carrying offerings and processions to temples slow traffic. Leave extra time.

Offerings and temples. Temples and family shrines are busy, with larger offerings than on a normal day. If you walk past a temple during prayer, keep to the side of the road and stay quiet. See the guide to temple ceremonies for the etiquette.

Closures. Galungan and Kuningan are not national public holidays. They are optional holidays (libur fakultatif) on the Ministry's Hindu list, and in earlier years the Governor of Bali's circular named Penampahan Galungan, Galungan, Umanis Galungan, Penampahan Kuningan and Kuningan as holiday or dispensation days. Government bodies and employers are asked to give Hindu staff the time off, while tourist businesses mostly stay open with reduced staff. Smaller shops, market stalls and warung may close for a day or more. Markets are very busy before Galungan.

Food. Pigs and chickens are slaughtered for the feast on Penampahan, so expect festive Balinese dishes and more meat in the markets.

Staff. Housekeepers, drivers and gardeners usually want time off, often several days around Galungan and on Kuningan. Agree dates and cover well in advance.

If you want to take part

• Dress modestly. If a family invites you to their temple, wear a sarong and sash.
• Accept an invitation graciously. It is a sign of friendship.
• Ask before you photograph a ceremony or a family.
• Do not walk in front of people who are praying, and do not stand higher than the priest.
• A small contribution or a gift of fruit is welcome but not expected.
• If you want to put up a penjor yourself, ask your landlord, neighbours or banjar. They can show you how it is done.

If something is closed or slow

Plan paperwork, bank errands and appointments outside the Galungan and Kuningan weeks. Check opening hours for government offices before you go. Remember that these days differ from year to year, and use the Pawukon calendar guide to see when the next cycle starts.