Ogoh-ogoh

Making the effigies

Statue building takes place in the banjar, the neighborhood civic association. For weeks or months leading up to the new year, local youths collaborate on the design and construction. Builders weave split bamboo and rattan over wooden bases, shaping fierce demons, mythical beasts, or characters from Hindu epics and shadow puppetry. Layers of paper cover the framework before painters add vivid details, fangs, and bulging eyes. In earlier decades, artists sometimes substituted lightweight styrofoam, but regional rules now ban synthetic foam to protect health and the environment. Some modern groups even incorporate hidden mechanical levers or hydraulic systems to make the arms, heads, and torsos move during the procession.

Origins and evolution

Large effigies have deep roots in Balinese ceremonial life, though the modern street parade developed relatively recently. Earlier customs featured towering figures in royal cremation pageants, sacred scarecrows placed in rice fields to ward off pests, and giant puppets known as Barong Landung. In the 1970s, young people in Denpasar began making straw and paper figures called onggokan to accompany the customary cleansing rites on New Year's Eve. The practice gained momentum in the 1980s when Nyepi was recognized as an Indonesian national holiday and provincial leaders encouraged local banjar groups to parade. By the 1990s, the event had expanded into island-wide competitive exhibitions, turning a modest neighborhood ritual into a showcase of Balinese craftsmanship.

Sound and movement

The name ogoh-ogoh comes from the Balinese verb ogah, which means to shake. Teams of carriers lift each statue on a grid of bamboo poles, jogging forward and abruptly turning at major road junctions. By bouncing and rocking the frame in unison, the bearers make the giant limbs dance and sway, creating the dramatic illusion of an animated demon. Processions are powered by the thunderous, driving pulse of gamelan baleganjur, a traditional ensemble composed of gongs, drums, and cymbals. Community leaders and local regulations discourage electronic speakers and recorded tracks, ensuring that live acoustic music maintains the ritual atmosphere and spiritual charisma of the parade.

Cleansing the village

The parade forms the climax of Pangrupukan, a broader set of purification rituals aimed at soothing disruptive spirits before the new year begins. Earlier in the day, households perform offerings, bang slit drums, light torches of dried coconut leaves, and scatter aromatic spices around compound grounds to drive out lurking malice. The evening procession gathers these scattered disturbances together within the forms of the monsters. Carrying them through the community corners draws the negative energy away from residential dwellings. The final cremation of the effigies at the village burial grounds permanently destroys these collected evils, paving the way for the total stillness and introspection required during Nyepi.

How Ogoh-ogoh is kept

Preparations begin in the banjar, the local neighborhood hall, where youth groups assemble giant figures using bamboo frames, papier-mache, and paint. On the evening of Pangrupukan, teams hoist the heavy platforms onto their shoulders. They march along designated routes, spinning and shaking the statues at crossroads to make them seem alive. Walking alongside the bearers, percussion troupes play energetic rhythms on gamelan baleganjur instruments. After circling the neighborhood, participants carry the statues to the village cemetery field, where they set the effigies on fire to complete the ritual purification.

When and where

The parade takes place on Pangrupukan, which is the final evening of the Balinese lunar year. This night precedes Nyepi, the annual day of quiet contemplation marking the Saka New Year. The festival date is calculated according to the traditional Balinese calendar during the ninth lunar month, known as Sasih Kesanga.

The custom is strongest across the island of Bali, where nearly every neighborhood crafts its own effigy. Outside Bali, Hindu communities host similar processions in Indonesian provinces including East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, Lampung, East Kalimantan, and South Sulawesi, often inviting neighbors of all religious backgrounds to join the celebration.

What Ogoh-ogoh means

The statues primarily portray Butakala, supernatural entities that inhabit lower realms and embody human greed, anger, and chaotic universal energies. Parading and shaking these frightful figures draws out the unseen negativity lingering in homes and crossroads. Setting them alight at the cemetery serves as a collective act of spiritual renewal, expelling destructive forces so the community enters the new year with clarity and peace.

Days Ogoh-ogoh is marked

Questions people ask about Ogoh-ogoh

See also

Kartika PurnimaA full moon festival of lights and holy baths celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across South Asia.Chinese New Year's EveA reunion day for ethnic Chinese families before the Lunar New Year, marked by feasts, rituals, and staying up late.SekatenA week-long Javanese royal festival and market honouring the birth of the ProphetBau NyaleAn annual night-time gathering on Lombok to collect spawning sea worms from the shore

Good reading and sources

• Ogoh-ogoh on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.