Penglipuran Village Forgoes Galungan Penjor Following Resident's Death

A different atmosphere envelops Penglipuran Village in Bangli District, Bali, ahead of Galungan Day. The tourist village has not erected penjor because one of its residents has died. “Yes, we are not installing penjor today,” said I Wayan Sumiarsa, head of the Penglipuran Tourism Village management, on Tuesday (16/6/2026). Sumiarsa explained that villagers will not put up penjor for three days. The family of the deceased will also refrain from installing penjor and from praying at the temple. “For three days, residents do not install penjor. The bereaved family also does not install penjor and does not pray at the temple,” Sumiarsa said. According to him, the tradition usually observed by Penglipuran residents during Galungan has been postponed. When a villager is in mourning, all customary and religious activities are temporarily suspended. “We are not celebrating Galungan this year because, in accordance with our tradition and custom, when a resident is grieving, all sacred activities are cancelled,” he stated. Observations on site revealed not a single penjor visible from the eastern entrance of the village. Walking further to a three-way junction, two penjor were seen installed in front of two residents’ homes. Additionally, two penjor stood at the entrance to the village temple. Beyond that, no other penjor were installed at residents’ homes along the lanes heading north or south. From 3:00 PM local time, only crowds of domestic tourists wearing traditional Balinese attire and foreign tourists were seen strolling around the village area. Despite the mourning period, the tourist village, known as one of the cleanest in Indonesia, remains open to the public. There are no ticket discounts or special promotions, but tourism activities are running normally. “Tourism is operating normally as usual. Visitors can still enjoy the rural atmosphere,” he said. Tourists visiting Penglipuran showed mixed reactions. Some admitted disappointment at not being able to enjoy the beauty of the penjor that usually adorn the village during Galungan. “A little disappointed. I was hoping there would be many penjor here,” said a tourist from France. Janet, a visitor from Jakarta, also expressed disappointment. She only found out there were no rows of penjor in Penglipuran because a resident had died. “I came here specifically to see the penjor,” Janet said. Janet explained she only learned of the situation after renting traditional Balinese clothing and entering the village area. Nevertheless, Janet did not cancel her visit. She, along with her husband and two children, continued to enjoy the atmosphere of Penglipuran and took photos in front of residents’ homes. “I just found out that someone died. So they are not allowed to install penjor. I’ve already changed into traditional clothes, so I’ll just look for penjor in Denpasar instead,” she said. In contrast, Sabrina and Greta, tourists from Italy, had no issue with Penglipuran lacking penjor. Sabrina said she came to Penglipuran to enjoy the village atmosphere, not solely to see penjor. “I have no problem. I am touring this village not to look for penjor. As for penjor, maybe I will visit another place,” Sabrina said.