family temple ceremony (merajan)

Princess Mirah loves the Balinese tradition. Every six months, following the moon calendar, Princess Mirah’s family, like all families in Bali, celebrates the birthday of the family temple. Here they are dancing the offerings – flowers, money, food – to the gods inside the temple.

After the dance Princess Mirah’s nieces and sister in law prepares the holy water – contained in the bamboo clothed in holy yellow cloth – that has been carried from all the major temples around the island to give new power and revive the spirit of the gods and ancestors inside the temple.

There are 9 major temples in Bali, plus the temples that the royal family of Karangasem has close connections and obligations to. So the holy water has to be brought from far away, from temples on mountaintops and seaside cliffs, before the holy water is carried to the family temple of Princess Mirah to there give blessing to the family on the birthday of the temple, odalan.