Ogoh-ogoh

thumb|Ogoh-ogoh on display at the Cultural Arts Festival in Legian, Kuta, Bali|Kuta, 2018. thumb|250px|Ogoh-ogoh placed in front of Puri Lukisan Museum in [[Ubud.]] Ogoh-ogoh (Balinese: ) is a sculpture art form in Balinese culture that is typically paraded during Pangrupukan, a Hindu Balinese tradition held to welcome Nyepi (the Saka New Year). This tradition is part of the Tawur Kesanga procession, a Hindu Balinese ritual aimed at neutralizing negative forces in the surrounding environment and "appeasing" beings from the lower realms before the turn of the Saka Year. During the Pangrupukan parade, ogoh-ogoh symbolizes the evils of human nature or negativity in the universe. Therefore, after the parade ends, ogoh-ogoh is eventually burned as a representation of eliminating those negative traits. The burning usually takes place in the village cemetery field.

Ogoh-ogoh are generally made in each banjar, which is a traditional Balinese community organization, equivalent to a neighborhood association. The figure of Butakala, a supernatural being or inhabitant of the "lower realm" in Hindu beliefs, is a common theme for ogoh-ogoh and is considered to represent negative qualities within humans. However, in modern times, many ogoh-ogoh take the form of mythological animals, characters from wayang (shadow puppetry) or Hindu literature, and even Hindu gods and goddesses. Ogoh-ogoh can be made as individual figures, in pairs, or in groups. The common materials used are woven bamboo or rattan—or even styrofoam—then covered with paper. The creation process takes weeks or even months, depending on the complexity and the number of craftsmen involved.