Ogoh-Ogoh, a Bali Giant Puppet

The Meaning of Ogoh-ogoh

Ogoh-Ogoh symbolizes giant creature with scary and ferocious appearance. Nyepi Day in Bali is very identical with Ogoh-Ogoh. For most people, Ogoh-Ogoh is the most interesting event among the series of Nyepi Ceremony. This giant puppets are paraded in the Pengrupukan night, which is a day before the Saka New Year or so called Nyepi Day. This puppet whose appearance is very scary is usually paraded around the village or town which is dominated by the youth.

The term Ogoh-Ogoh comes from Balinese “ogah-ogah” which means something which is shaken. In fact, when this giant puppet is paraded it is always shaken by the carriers to make it looks like moving or dancing. Besides that, the pose of one Ogoh-Ogoh to the others is different and various. So each puppet will have different moves when it is shaken. Even, now with the development of technology, many of them can be moved by the assistant of machine.

The Purpose

The main purpose of the making of this giant puppet is the purification. It is aimed at purifying the natural environment of any spiritual pollutants emitted from the activities of living beings.  Philosophically, civilized men should manage the natural resources without damaging the environment itself.

There are so many version of Ogoh-Ogoh history in Bali. Some people argued that it has been known since the era of ancient Balinese kingdom. At that time, it can be seen in the procession of Pitra Yadnya or so called Ngaben. There is also another argument states that the tradition of Ngusaba inspiring the existence of this puppet. It is a tradition from Selat Village, Karangasem which also used a similar figure to repel evil spirit.

Ogoh-Ogoh is a unique culture you’ll ever know just like our hotel. It is a place where Bali and African vibes are blend together into harmony.