Balinese believe that during the third and fourth month of Balinese Çaka calendar (around September and October in Gregorian calendar), Ratu Gede Nusa also known as Ratu Gede Mas Macaling, the leader of demons and evil spirits which resides in Nusa Penida Island invades Bali with his vast demon and evil spirit legions spreading plagues and death all over the mainland starting from the coastal areas of south Bali. Balinese will take perform various rituals and ceremonies to negate the invasion the negative effects of the invasion and the most popular way is to seek help of another divinities especially from a Barong which usually acts as protector of a certain area.

During this critical months the representative of a certain village will beg to the Barong which in charge in that area to hold a ‘malancaran’ activity to his village. The word ‘melancaran’ is a high Balinese word which means ‘strolling away from one place to another’ in this context the word ‘melancaran’ means the protective Barong and sometimes is accompanied by his consort the Rangda make a trip to the village which need their help. The melancaran is not a direct trip from the temple in which the Barong and Rangda reside to the target village but moving from a temple to another which spread along the way to the target village. Hundreds of followers will accompany the Barong and Rangda during their trip, these followers create a long merry procession accompanied by energetic Balaganjur orchestra.

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A cremation ceremony is a joyful moment, full of happiness and festivity, with tons of offerings, lavishly decorated cremation tower, energetic sound of Gamelan Balaganjur, elegant procession, and flocks of family, relatives, and Banjar members.

Theoretically, a cremation ceremony can be held in a simple way, without so much fuss with simple offering and simple preparation but as a matter of fact, a simple cremation ceremony is a rare event. Many Balinese consider that a simple cremation ceremony is a disgrace to the deceased and his/her family. Fred B. Eiseman, Jr gives a better explanation on this account.

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Gamelan in Balinese life has many essential functions; the gamelan’s primary function is to assist in the myriad of ceremonies required during each 210-day cycle of the Balinese Pawukon cycle, as well as those involved with the lunar calendar. These activities range from private family observances such as weddings or the dedication to new buildings to massive, village-wide temple ceremonies. The musicians must be able to play at any hour or night or both, as demanded by the ceremony in progress. They may accompany a priest in his devotion, or they may accompany entertainments, such as temple dances. Tourism creates the secondary function of any gamelan that is entertaining Bali’s visitors. There is no such thing as professional musician in Bali. The gamelan players are rice farmers or village artisans or work at some sort of job – they are musician during their time off.

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