Otonan is a Balinese Hindu birth ceremony (ceremonial

birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many religion ...

) carried out in

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Six months, or 210 days, after a child is born, the ceremony is carried out according to the Balinese

Pawukon calendar The Pawukon is a 210-day calendar that has its origins in the Hindu religion in Bali, Indonesia. The calendar consists of 10 different concurrent weeks of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 days. On the first day of the year it is the first day o ...

, either during ''Sapta Wara'', or ''Panca Wara''. The purpose of this ceremony is to make up for the errors and evils of prior life to achieve a more perfect life by expressing gratitude to ancestors and the deity Achintya. It is led by a

Hindu priest A Hindu priest may refer to either of the following * A Pujari or an Archaka is a Hindu temple priest. * A Purohita or Pandit officiates and performs rituals and ceremonies, and is usually linked to a specific family or, historically, a dyna ...

or family elder. During the first Otonan ceremony, a

haircut A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut, or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head but sometimes on the face or body. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although ...

ritual is typically involved and the ceremony is very festive. The ceremony will continue to be celebrated throughout a person's life in conjunction with their birthday. A white thread bracelet called "beneng" is given after the Otonan ceremony is complete.

References

Ceremonies in Indonesia {{Indonesia-stub Hinduism in Bali Balinese culture