HARI RAYA SUGIAN JAWA

Sugian Jawa is the second of three Sugian ceremonies that are performed to cleanse the bhuana agung (the environment of the individual human being, or macro-cosmos) and the bhuana alit (the micro-cosmos or the inner world of the individual human being) of negativity, and at the same time to create awareness of one's sacred inner power.

The three Sugian ceremonies are (sequential):

1. Sugian Pengenten
2. Sugian Jawa
3. Sugian Bali

Ethymology

The word jawa here is equal to the word jaba (= 'outside') and refers to the bhuana agung or macro-cosmos, which is the environment of the individual human being (the counterpart of the inner world of the individual human being, the micro-cosmos or bhuana alit).

Ceremonies of Sugian Jawa

The ceremonies that are conducted during Sugian Jawa are locally known as pemretistan ring Bhatara kabeh and are intended to cleanse the bhuana agung of negativity.

According lontar Sudarigama, Sugian Jawa is the auspicious day to worship all the positive powers of the (macro-)cosmos - the gods and pitara - with extra attention.

During this day offerings are made in the form of aromatic flowers and incense which are presented at sacred places such as the public temples and family-temples, the direct vicinity of these sacred places, and sacred objects belonging to these places, to honor the gods and the pitara (the deified spirits of the ancestors).

The cleansing of the environment is symbolic and intended to reinforce or maintain a balance between the non-physical positive powers (gods, deified ancestors, etc.) and negative powers (bhuta-kala) of niskala, so that, with the support of the positive powers, the affairs of men will not be disturbed by these negative powers.

Sugian Jawa celebration date

Sugian Jawa, the second of the three Sugian ceremonies, takes place six days before Galungan at the day following Sugian Pengenten, which is Wraspati Wage, the Thursday of the 10th week of the Balinese Pawukon calendar, Sungsan.