Ogoh-ogoh (Balinese: ) is a sculpture art form in Balinese culture that is typically paraded during Pangrupukan, a Hindu Balinese tradition held to welcome Nyepi (the Saka New Year). This tradition is part of the Tawur Kesanga procession, a Hindu Balinese ritual aimed at neutralizing negative forces in the surrounding environment and "appeasing" beings from the lower realms before the turn of the Saka Year. During the Pangrupukan parade, ogoh-ogoh symbolizes the evils of human nature or negativity in the universe. Therefore, after the parade ends, ogoh-ogoh is eventually burned as a representation of eliminating those negative traits. The burning usually takes place in the village cemetery field.
Ogoh-ogoh are generally made in each banjar, which is a traditional Balinese community organization, equivalent to a neighborhood association. The figure of Butakala, a supernatural being or inhabitant of the "lower realm" in Hindu beliefs, is a common theme for ogoh-ogoh and is considered to represent negative qualities within humans. However, in modern times, many ogoh-ogoh take the form of mythological animals, characters from wayang (shadow puppetry) or Hindu literature, and even Hindu gods and goddesses. Ogoh-ogoh can be made as individual figures, in pairs, or in groups. The common materials used are woven bamboo or rattan—or even styrofoam—then covered with paper. The creation process takes weeks or even months, depending on the complexity and the number of craftsmen involved.
The ogoh-ogoh tradition, as it is known today, is a relatively new cultural practice. It is estimated to have developed in the 1980s, although ogoh-ogoh had existed in earlier years in a much simpler form and was not yet widely recognized. The traditions of lelakut, pelebonan statues, and Barong Landung are believed to be the roots and early inspirations for the development of ogoh-ogoh. Today, ogoh-ogoh has become a distinctive feature of Nyepi celebrations and is frequently held as a competition at various levels across Bali almost every year.
Outside Bali, the ogoh-ogoh tradition is also practiced in regions with a significant Hindu population (especially those celebrating Nyepi), such as East Java, Lampung, West Nusa Tenggara, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, and others. In these areas, the ogoh-ogoh parade is seen as a symbol of interfaith harmony, with participation not limited to Hindus. Besides cities outside Bali, ogoh-ogoh has also been showcased in several cultural parades abroad.
Etymology
Etymologically, "Ogoh-ogoh" comes from the Balinese language, derived from the word ogah, meaning "to shake"; ngogah, meaning "to shake something". The reduplicated form ogah-ogah means "to be shaken repeatedly". This relates to the way ogoh-ogoh is paraded, where it is shaken to create the illusion of movement and dancing. The term "ogoh-ogoh" is a relatively new native Balinese vocabulary and was not found in Balinese dictionaries compiled before 1980. The word ogoh-ogoh was first recorded in the Bali Post newspaper on 6 March 1984. In a Balinese dictionary published in 1991, ogoh-ogoh is defined as a statue made of bamboo or paper, typically depicting a butakala or giant figure. Before the term ogoh-ogoh became widely used, it was referred to as onggokan, meaning "something lifted or hoisted repeatedly (onggok-onggok)".
History Origins and roots of the tradition
The ogoh-ogoh tradition, as it is known today, is considered a relatively new cultural practice and does not originate from ancient Balinese times, though it has roots and inspiration from older traditions. The practice of creating giant statues for public processions existed before the modern ogoh-ogoh tradition. However, before the 1980s, these statues were not known by the term ogoh-ogoh, nor were they paraded for the Pangrupukan procession (the day before Nyepi). Instead, they were used in grand cremation ceremonies (pelebon) that featured Bade Awin or Pengabenan Mawangun. These ceremonies were organized by noble families of the puri (royal courts). Such statues could also be made for the cremation of Hindu priests. A historic video recorded by Canadian composer Colin McPhee captures several statues being paraded during a pelebon in Gianyar in 1933. According to cultural expert Anom Ranuara, the statues accompanying these cremations served as inspiration for modern ogoh-ogoh.
Aside from the statues carried during pelebon ceremonies, another art form featuring towering figures is Barong Landung, a giant puppet paraded in a manner similar to Ondel-ondel. This art form has been known in Balinese society since ancient times. The documentary film La Isla de Bali (1930), created by Mexican ethnologist Miguel Covarrubias, depicts Barong Landung in a pelebon ceremony in Bali. However, this Barong Landung appeared without a partner, had a giant-like face, and carried a weapon, differing from the usual Barong Landung. This tradition is believed to share similarities with ogoh-ogoh.
There is no certainty about when the tradition of parading ogoh-ogoh—as part of the Nyepi celebration—was first practiced. One hypothesis suggests that the ogoh-ogoh procession was inspired by lelakut (scarecrows) or petakut, which were used to drive birds away from rice fields. These lelakut were believed to possess magical power if their creation and placement followed guidelines found in ancient Balinese lontar manuscripts. Their primary function was to ward off pest infestations. According to cultural expert Anom Ranuara, the lelakut tradition was later adopted into statues carried during Pengabenan Mawangun cremation ceremonies, which eventually inspired the emergence of the ogoh-ogoh tradition in Pangrupukan. Another hypothesis suggests that ogoh-ogoh originated from the ngelawang tradition, a ritual in which barong figures were carried around the village to dispel negative forces.
Before the ogoh-ogoh tradition emerged, Balinese Hindus welcomed Nyepi with a series of Pangrupukan rituals performed within their villages and homes. These activities included conducting caru (ritual offerings), lighting torches or fires using dried coconut leaves, scattering aromatic spice cuttings (such as jeringau, mesoyi, and shallots), and making loud noises with instruments like kentungan (bamboo slit drums) and cengceng (cymbals). As the ogoh-ogoh tradition developed, the parade of ogoh-ogoh was added at the end of these rituals and eventually became synonymous with Pangrupukan. Several journalists and academics estimate that this tradition began to develop in the 1980s, although simpler forms of it existed earlier and were not widely recognized.
Early development
The origins of ogoh-ogoh stem from traditions practiced by several Balinese community groups (banjar, a type of neighborhood association) in preparation for Nyepi. In Denpasar, this tradition began in the Puri Kesiman area. Wayan Candra, the owner of Sanggar Gases Sesetan, estimates that ogoh-ogoh first appeared around the 1950s but only became widely recognized in the 1960s. The prototype or early form of ogoh-ogoh was a straw doll (lelakut), which was displayed at village intersections. After the Pangrupukan ritual was completed, the doll was eventually burned.
Before being known as ogoh-ogoh, the statues created to enliven Tawur Kesanga were called onggokan, meaning "something lifted repeatedly (dionggok-onggok)". This tradition originated in Banjar Kedaton, Kesiman Petilan. Onggokan was made using simple materials, such as a bamboo frame covered with newspaper and cloth, then painted in vibrant colors. Its forms were based on historical stories closely related to the Tawur ceremony during Sasih Kesanga in the Balinese calendar. Sasih Kesanga is recognized by Balinese society as the mating season for dogs, making onggokan depictions of mating dogs a popular form.
Journalist I Nyoman Suarna stated that the development of ogoh-ogoh in Denpasar was initiated by young people. In the 1970s, in East Denpasar, a group of banjar youths paraded lelakut (scarecrows) before Nyepi, inspiring other banjar communities to create something more elaborate. The following year, another group of youths crafted more representative statues, drawing inspiration from lelakut and the statues carried during royal cremation ceremonies. They called them ogoh-ogoh because they were shaken while being paraded around the village. However, their activities were initially met with opposition from the older generation. Despite this, the youths persisted in parading ogoh-ogoh, eventually attracting widespread public interest. In the years that followed, ogoh-ogoh began to appear in numerous banjar communities.
Since President Soeharto declared Nyepi a national holiday (Presidential Decree No. 3 of 1983), Bali Governor Ida Bagus Mantra encouraged the public to celebrate Nyepi by creating and parading ogoh-ogoh during the Pangrupukan ritual. In the 1980s, the ogoh-ogoh procession grew in popularity across various parts of Bali. This attracted government attention, leading to ogoh-ogoh competitions at the sub-district level. Ogoh-ogoh truly became widespread across Bali after it was officially included in the Bali Arts Festival competition in 1990.
The 1990s and 2000s
In its development—especially during the 1990s and 2000s—many ogoh-ogoh designs drew inspiration from popular culture and contemporary issues of the time. Some were even made to resemble public figures such as celebrities, politicians, and even convicts. In more traditional competitions, ogoh-ogoh makers were indirectly required to explore Hindu and Balinese mythology as sources of inspiration. However, the creativity of the Balinese people remained under government and customary institution supervision. Authorities monitored the ogoh-ogoh created by the community and banned those deemed to contain elements of ethnicity, religion, race, and politics (SARA). During political years in the 1990s and 2000s, the ogoh-ogoh parades were sometimes prohibited by local governments. Despite this, some communities continued to create them, though in smaller numbers, believing that ogoh-ogoh was both a tradition and an outlet for artistic expression.
The 2010s
In the early 2010s, ogoh-ogoh, which were traditionally made from woven bamboo or rattan, began to be increasingly constructed from styrofoam due to its ease of use. However, for health and environmental reasons, in 2015, the Bali regional government issued a "ban" on using styrofoam in ogoh-ogoh production, and many ogoh-ogoh competitions prohibited its use. Additionally, the use of loudspeaker-based music or sound systems to accompany ogoh-ogoh parades was also banned, as it was considered inconsistent with Balinese cultural traditions. Instead, the government and customary institutions encouraged parades to continue using gamelan baleganjur, which is also commonly used to accompany traditional processions in Bali. In addition, gamelan is considered to better represent Balinese culture and enhance the taksu or charisma of the ogoh-ogoh being paraded. In the mid-2010s innovations in the ogoh-ogoh tradition were marked by the development of mechanically operated ogoh-ogoh. In 2016, a youth group in Panjer, South Denpasar, introduced a groundbreaking ogoh-ogoh that could "move" and was controlled via a smartphone using a Bluetooth system. In the following years, several banjar communities in Denpasar continued to innovate by creating machine-operated ogoh-ogoh while prioritizing eco-friendly materials. North Denpasar developed ogoh-ogoh capable of reclining and standing upright using a hydraulic system. The production process for these advanced ogoh-ogoh often required significant funding, sometimes reaching tens of millions of rupiah, and involved engineering students to implement cutting-edge technology. Banjar communities with innovative ogoh-ogoh frequently participated in city-level competitions.