There is a myth in Balinese tradition in which those who were born during 'wayang', a seven day cycle, and 'pawukon' of a 210 day cycle, from the Balinese calendar (the next cycle falls on Saturday 28 January), must hold a shadow puppet performance at least once to avoid misfortune during their life. The myth goes that the God 'Siwa' had a son who was born on a Saturday under 'wayang pawukon'. The son, named Divine Kala asked his father what he could eat. The God Siwa replied that he could eat those who were born on the same 'pawukon' day as him. In the heavens, no one was born on the same day as Divine Kala, until eventually his brother Rare Kumara was born on 'pawukon', the same day as him. When Divine Kala wanted to eat Rare Kumara, the God Siwa prevented him from doing so by pointing out that Rare Kumara was still just a babe. Divine Kala decided to wait but the God Siwa cursed Rare Kumara to remain a child, thus being freed from the threat of being eaten by his brother. Understanding the unfairness and not wanting to wait any longer, Divine Kala hunted his younger brother, who in turn made his escape by coming down to earth.
Whilst on the run, he arrived in a place where shadow puppets were being performed. He hid himself under a bamboo hole used by the gamelan orchestra, so Divine Kala could not get to him. Following behind him, and by now very hungry, Divine Kala ate all the offerings from the shadow puppet show. The puppeteer in turn got incredibly angry with him and asked him to return all the offerings. A compromise was reached; the puppeteer would forgive Divine Kala if in return he would stop chasing his younger brother and whoever was to be born on the same day of 'wayang pawukon'. This was agreed.
Recent developments show that shadow puppetry on Bali now falls into three different categories. The first is shadow puppetry that maintains the sacred nature of the performance without losing its entertaining elements. Since it first appeared, shadow puppetry has been performed to represent many sacred events by ritualistic means; those of Bali's ancestors, her holy men, those of human beings, and of destructive powers. During these performances, a puppeteer not only performs accordingly but also produces the holy water required for the ritual.
Whilst on the run, he arrived in a place where shadow puppets were being performed. He hid himself under a bamboo hole used by the gamelan orchestra, so Divine Kala could not get to him. Following behind him, and by now very hungry, Divine Kala ate all the offerings from the shadow puppet show. The puppeteer in turn got incredibly angry with him and asked him to return all the offerings. A compromise was reached; the puppeteer would forgive Divine Kala if in return he would stop chasing his younger brother and whoever was to be born on the same day of 'wayang pawukon'. This was agreed.
Recent developments show that shadow puppetry on Bali now falls into three different categories. The first is shadow puppetry that maintains the sacred nature of the performance without losing its entertaining elements. Since it first appeared, shadow puppetry has been performed to represent many sacred events by ritualistic means; those of Bali's ancestors, her holy men, those of human beings, and of destructive powers. During these performances, a puppeteer not only performs accordingly but also produces the holy water required for the ritual.
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