Tegalalang Rice Terraces, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

© Michele Falzone/Alam

Info. Tegalalang Rice Terraces, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Twice a year, all of Bali in Indonesia, including those who live and work in the green rice terraces you see here, unite to celebrate the country's most important holiday, Galungan. This 10-day Balinese-Hindu festival always comes at the end of the traditional 210-day Balinese calendar, usually in March or April, and then again in September or October. This spring, the celebrations began on April 14, and on that day the Balinese invited the spirits of their ancestors into their homes with prayers and other offerings. Bamboo poles called penjor are placed outside houses or along roads and decorated with coconut leaves and flowers. They are used to hang offerings as a kind act towards the spirits. The tenth and last day of Galungan is called Kuningan, which comes on April 24 this year. To mark this finale, yellow rice will be offered to the departing ancestors, a gift to go with them on their return journey to the spirit world.