On Saturday, September 19, 2009 Balinese in Tanah Lot celebrated a holiday that is called Tumpek Wariga or Tumpek Pengatag or Tumpek Pengarah. Tumpek Wariga is the day when a blessing ceremony is given to the plants, the ceremony held at every plantation and farm throughout the island. Tumpek Wariga is celebrated every 210 days or 6 months of the Balinese calendar. On this special day, the plants in Tanah Lot are given special attention, especially the plants that help human life, such as rice, coconuts, mangoes, durian, bananas, etc, not just by presenting an offering, plants are also decorated with clothes and special decoration made from coconut leaf. Plants are seen as human relatives, as they are also part of God’s family. This is the time for expressing gratitude to plants.

This holiday is also a way of fighting global warming, though it does not give direct effect as in planting plants or reducing the use of fossil fuels, but this holiday at least can remind Balinese in Tanah Lot that trees and plants can be seen as human relatives, and they are greatly indebted to the plants around them. It is hoped that this holiday will remind Balinese in Tanah Lot that it is people’s duty to protect plants; and prosperity and comfort will come around whenever the vegetation is protected and conserved.

Tumpek Wariga also called Tumpek Pengarah. Mepengarah ritual is a unique ritual in which Balinese in Tanah Lot give an instruction to the trees (menpengarah means giving an instruction). The ritual is conducted right after the ceremony to honor the god of the trees is finished. Balinese in Tanah Lot will tap the tree three times to wake it up and give the instruction to it. It runs as follow: Kaki-kaki titiang pengarah, malih selae rahina Galunganne, mabuah nyen apang nged.

Nged, nged, nged”; the free translation of this instruction runs as follow “Grandpa-grandpa, I have an instruction, it is 25 days left for Galungan day, produce a lot of fruit, a lot of fruit, a lot of fruit.” In this ritual Balinese in Tanah Lot inform the trees that Galungan (Christmas a la Balinese) holiday will soon arrive and to celebrate the Galungan holiday many fruits and other and rice will be needed to make offerings which are going to be presented to the God and ancestors in this holiday and Balinese ask the trees and other plants to produce plenty of fruits and rice to fulfill the demand on this resources.