There will be an Ogoh-Ogoh statue show in Denpasar

From March 1 to 3, the Kesanga Festival 2024 will take place in Denpasar at the Patung Catur Muka square. This is a youth festival featuring Ogoh-Ogoh statues. A total of 160 statues will participate, with the Denpasar Cultural Department selecting the top 12 from each district in the city.

Judges explained that they evaluated the figures based on three criteria: the originality and relevance of the idea, the design of the statue, and the artistic presentation. The Ogoh-Ogoh parade is, above all, a show. Judges requested shaking the statues to ensure they are made strong and of sufficient quality to withstand the procession.

Ogoh-Ogoh sculptures are made of papier-mâché and are crafted exclusively in the Bali province in anticipation of the local New Year, Nyepi. These sculptures are presented only once a year in ceremonies leading up to the Day of Silence. They symbolize evil spirits and various human vices that need to be eliminated. The tradition of creating Ogoh-Ogoh statues began in the 1980s. Typically, these statues are destroyed after the Day of Silence, and new ones are created for the following year.

Creating Ogoh-Ogoh statues can be quite expensive – often costing several thousand dollars. Typically, funds for constructing these figures are collected from residents of the local administration. This year, the police even apprehended a scammer who purportedly collected money for creating a statue by visiting stores in the northern part of Denpasar. The police discovered that he was not a resident of that area and did not have the right to collect money from shopkeepers.

Additionally, the creation of statues is partially funded by authorities. For instance, the authorities of Badung this year will allocate 11 billion rupiahs to creative funds for making Ogoh-Ogoh statues. An essential condition set by the authorities is that the statues must be made from biodegradable materials, prohibiting the use of plastic and styrofoam.

This year, at the Ogoh-Ogoh festival in Denpasar, the creators of the top three statues will receive a prize of 30 million rupiahs. Typically, the competition for the best statue involves the entire island, but this year it was canceled due to elections. Authorities believe that contest evaluations could lead to tension among local residents, as there are always dissatisfied participants.

Parades will be allowed only in the territories of traditional villages. Their organization has been delegated to local administrations with a call for residents to maintain order during the processions.

Deputy Mayor of Denpasar, I Kadek Agus Arya Vibawa, expressed hope that the event would contribute to maintaining peace and order in anticipation of Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, which falls on March 11 this year.

Reminder: Nyepi, the Day of Silence, will begin in Bali at 6 a.m. on March 11. Until the morning of March 12, it will be prohibited to go outside, make noise, play loud music, and turn on lights.

Sources: Bali Tribun, Detik Bali, Balipost