The Animal Signs in Determining Good and Bad Days in the Ala Ayuning Dewasa on Balinese Caka Calendar

Abstract

Time determines the good and bad day to start doing something in Balinese society. This study aims to analyze the sign system in the Ala Ayuning Dewasa on the Balinese Caka Calendar. Data is taken from the Balinese Caka Calendar 2023. There are two types of data in this study, namely written and oral data. Written data is in the form of animal name terms and their meanings. Oral data is a description of the relationship between signifiers and signifieds. Written data were collected through observation assisted by note-taking techniques. Researchers observed the sign system in the Ala Ayuning Dewasa on the Balinese Caka Calendar and noted it in the sheets provided. Oral data were obtained from three informants who wrestled with the Ala Ayuning Dewasa on the Balinese Caka Calendar through interviews. The results showed that (1) signifiers were formed from a combination of times called wewaran, wuku, and penanggal/pangelong, (2) there were 20 animal terms consisting of 9 forms of noun phrases, and 11 simple clauses, (3) signifiers and signifieds have a connotation relationship, (4) signifieds are complex which means that one signified can have the meaning of good das, bad day,  good and bad days, even one signifier can have up to 5 meanings. This research is a sound guide for Hindus in Bali to discover the meaning of the relationship between animal signifiers and their signifieds in the  Ala Ayuning Dewasa on the Balinese Caka Calendar.