It’s spring now in Bali, when October comes and rain begin to pour down then it is just a matter of time you will see the blooming flowers here in in the paradise island of Bali. In Balinese traditional calendar, October is parallel with Kapat (the fourth month of Balinese Caka calendar) and for the Balinese Kapat means its full moon will be the brightest in all year and the flowers will bloom.

After the harsh drought and blazing sun of Katiga (the third month of of Caka Calendar usually around September) the pouring rain of Kapat is surely a welcome change. With the appearance of rain, plants begin to produce flower buds and in the peak of Kapat you can see those flowers in full bloom. Kapat is also the long-awaited month for Balinese farmers since its rain is essential for the rice fields.

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Yesterday, a friend of mine complained that the temperature in the morning is lower than other month and it makes him quite reluctant to take his morning bath. So I give my best shot to explain the phenomenon of low temperature in the morning. And here is the best answer I can think of:

The low temperature in the morning is a sign that Sasih Karo (the second month in traditional Caka calendar usually falls around the end of July or early in August) is on its sway. Sasih Karo is the coldest month compare to the other month. The temperature is in the lowest level especially in the morning. It is quite warm during but the day during the night, a thick blanket is needed.

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Constellation of star is believed to influence on the character of a person who is born under it. Zodiac plays important role in western civilization in predicting someone character and talent while in Bali it is the month of Caka lunar is used for similar purpose. Each month in Caka lunar calendar is believed to have its own effect on the character of a person who is born in a certain month. Here is some short explanations of the character of the person based on the Caka month.

A person who is born in the first month of Caka Lunar year (Kasa) which is usually starts on June 23rd and end up on August 1st will have strong compassion toward others and good behavior.

Reckless, clumsy, or thoughtless is the characteristic of the person who is born in the second month of Caka Lunar year (Karo) which starts on August 2nd up to August 24th.

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Earthquake for Balinese is not merely a disaster; there is a hidden meaning or a prophecy, for the sake of precision, in every occurrence of earthquake. Armed with the sacred Palelindon (treatise on earthquake) manuscript, for hundreds, Balinese decipher every sign or prophecy behind every earthquake that occurred.

In Palelindon (treatise on earthquake), the earthquakes are categorized based on the time of occurrence. An earthquake that occurs in the first month of Balinese Caka calendar (July) has different meaning from the earthquake that occurs in the fifth month (November) and the meaning an earthquake that occurs on Saturday (Saniscara) is different from the one that occurs on Wednesday (Buda).

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The best way to explain the climate and weather in Bali in a year period is based on traditional Caka Calendar. Each month (sasih) in this calendar has its own climate and weather characteristic. Balinese have used these climate and weather characteristics to determine the best time for cultivating the land or to perform a religious ceremony.

A year in the traditional Caka calendar consist of twelve months. Here are the months arranged in succession as follows Kasa, Karo, Katiga, Kapat, Kalima, Kenem, Kapitu, Kaulu, Kasanga, Kadasa, Jiyestha and Asada. The prefix of ka- in the first tenth months above refers to ordinal numbers. The first month (kasa) of the traditional Caka calendar corresponds to July. But they are not exactly the same since the traditional Caka calendar is a lunar calendar while the Gregorian is a solar one.

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