PAGERWESI “STRENGTHENING OF MIND & SOUL”

The ceremony of Pagerwesi takes place four days af ter Saraswati. These two celebrations are closely related. The word “Pager” meaning fence and “Wesi” meaning iron is derived from the Javanese language. This is the day when the Balinese strengthen their minds and souls against evil forces, the iron fence is a representation of strong self -preservation. It is believed that knowledge must be protected from bad influences and misuse as the iron fence is a symbol of protect ion.

The God worshiped during Pagerwesi is “Sanghyang Paramesti Guru”. This is the god responsible for wiping out all bad and evil beings in the world. On this propitious day, the Balinese strengthen their minds and souls against evil forces through prayers and meditation hoping that this will stop bad influences entering their mind, speech and actions. It is also a reminder to live life appropriately without giving in to bad behavior or evil desires and not to harm their surroundings.