Tumpek Wayang in Bali

Tumpek is one of the most interesting of the coincidence dates on the island of Bali. Tumpek occurs six times in every Pawukon and each of these dates is separately important. Today in Bali is Tumpek Wayang, also known as Tumpek Ringgit. It is a Kajeng Kaliwon and is of particular importance. Some areas of Bali use this day to make offerings to musical instruments and dance equipment. This day is also important for the shadow puppets, Wayang Kulit. Many families have inherited puppets from an ancestor who performed them, a dalang. All dalangs have full sets of puppets. The puppets are taken from the box, placed in a position just as if an actual performance were being given and blessed by the owner.

A Dalang will remove all his puppets from storage, on average 100 of them, and set them all up to receive the offerings. It is considered very unlucky if a baby is born on this date, and if such an event occurred on this inopportune date, a special ceremony has to be performed in order to purify the child and protect it from harm.

Photo Credit: blog.baliwww.com