Religion and ritual in event production in Bali

What role do Balinese rituals play in event production? More than you’d think. We don’t hold any major event without asking permission of the land to hold our event and asking for protection until our event is finished.

Being very aware of our host culture and island, we do many things during events that often make our overseas clients break out in surprised laughter, or do a double-take, when they find out about it. The number one thing that shocks them? The line item in the budget for rain stopper or pawang hujan. But we’ve actually never done an event without having this ritual performed. To date, it’s never failed us.

What is a rain stopper? A pawang hujan is a traditional practitioner believed to possess the ability to control weather patterns, particularly to prevent rainfall during important events and ceremonies. These weather whisperers are commonly called upon for significant occasions such as weddings, cultural ceremonies, and sporting events where clear skies are desired. The practice has deep historical roots and remains active in various regions of Indonesia, especially in Bali, where pawang hujan are believed to perform specific rituals, prayers, and use sacred mantras or objects to influence atmospheric conditions. In Bali, the practice has been partly replaced by the ‘laser’ spotlight beamed up into the clouds before and during events in an effort to repel the rain.

You most probably will never see the rain stopper at our events. They will be stationed at the venue shrine, quietly doing the rituals required. It’s not a performance, just another piece of the dialogue between humans, the environment and the spiritual realm.

Ibu Dayu, who looks after our spiritual health all year round at the office and offsite, will make decisions of what offerings to make based on the number of shrines, location of the event, and duration of the event. Her most frequently asked questions: ‘is it close to a river?’. If the answer is yes, there are specific types of offerings that must be made.

When we arrive on site for an event, the offerings are one of the first things that follow. Sometimes a member of our team will join in. For us, it’s a way to ensure we’ve done everything we can to make sure the event production goes smoothly, not only on the worldly plane, but the other ones as well.