Ancestors worship is the core of Balinese-Hindus. Ancestors are deified as spirits who have special affinity for the family, and can be counted upon to protect and help the family in time of disaster or need. The ancestors can help ward of evil forces and insure the prosperity, happiness, and peace.

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Alternately – like most forces in Hindu Bali – they can cause constant trouble, causing just the opposite of the above benevolence. Which of the two, they do depends upon the respect of the family accords them. If the family directs good feeling toward them, if the family invites them into the religious ceremonies, if the family makes regular offerings to them, and if the family maintains the shrines to the limit of their financial ability, then their powers will be turn to aiding the family. If the family neglects these courtesies, the sickness, death, and all sorts of unimaginably bad things may results.

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Birth order name is a well known and unique characteristic of Balinese name. The birth order name is given to a baby at the instant of its birth, according to whether it is the first, second, third, fourth, etc., member of a sibling set. There is some local and status-group variation in usage here, but the most common system is to use Wayan for the first child, Made (or Nengah) for the second, Nyoman for the third, and Ketut for the fourth, beginning the cycle over again with Wayan for the fifth, Made for the sixth, and so on.

These birth order names are the most frequently used to address for children and for young men and women who have not yet produced offspring. Vocatively, they are usually used simply, that is, without the addition of the personal name: “Wayan, give me the hoe,” and so forth. Referentially, they may be supplemented by the personal name, especially when no other way is convenient to get across which of the dozens of Wayans or Mades in the hamlet is meant: “No, not Wayan Rugrug, Wayan Kepig,” and so on.

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