Waisak in Borobudur
AlGraChe/Creative Commons
Waisak is, for Indonesian Buddhists, a celebration of the Buddha's birth, death and enlightenment.
On the full moon that marks the eve of the festival, the massive mandala of Borobudur in Magelang becomes the focus for a solemn procession in the moonlight. Thousands of Buddhists – monks, nuns, and laypeople alike – walk from Mendut Temple, carrying a holy fire and a container of holy water to an altar on the west side of Borobudur.
After circling three times clockwise around Borobudur and receiving blessings from holy Buddhist gurus, the crowd releases about a thousand sky lanterns, with a wish for enlightenment to spread across humankind.
Festival date: May 7, 2020
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Bali Arts Festival
Image courtesy of the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism
The culture-crazy island of Bali becomes the focal point for one of Indonesia's biggest arts festivals every July. First established in 1979 as “the basic forum for the growth of our love of the arts,” as expressed by Bali's then-Governor Ida Bagus Mantra, the celebration has grown by leaps and bounds in the ensuing decades, now bringing together artists and disciplines from not just Bali, but from all over Indonesia.
On the second Saturday of June every year, the festival kicks off at the Werdi Budaya Art Center in Denpasar, with any number of cultural events taking place on the grounds, from barong dances to sendratari (Balinese ballet) recitals. Other highlights include documentary screenings, cooking exhibitions, arts exhibits, and live gamelan orchestras.
Festival date: June 13 - July 11, 2020