NYEPI or Balinese new year is something that you have to experience at least once in your lifetime. Nyepi or the Balinese "Day of Silence" that is commemorated every Isakawarsa ( Hindu new year sometime in March ) according to the Balinese calendar is an experience not to be missed. It is a Hindu celebration, mainly celebrated in Bali, Indonesia, although a similar celebration can still be found in parts of India, where Hinduism began. The same day celebrated in India is called Ugadi.
Usually Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self reflections and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and, for some, no talking or eating at all.
For us Foreigners it also meant from the afternoon leading up to Nyepi, the ATM's all shut down, every single shop, bar and restaurant closed, there were no cars or taxis on the streets,as people made their way back to their home villages all over Bali.
Any food ordered from our restaurant was pre-prepared, and served at an allocated sitting hour, no alcohol served, skeleton hotel staff only, our waitress was also the cook, the front of house, and only one of 4 staff in the whole hotel for the night.What had we let ourselves in for I asked, as I peered out of my hotel window into what had hours earlier been one of the main bustling streets of Seminyak, was now quiet, and almost ghost town like.
What had we let ourselves in for we asked ourselves several times as the days leading up to the celebration appeared to be more and more hectic for the Balinese around us. As we vacationed, they worked themselves almost into a frenzy of temple visits, prayers, village rituals and of course the Ogah Ogah ! For us tourists, it became a photographers paradise, one brilliant photo opportunity after another, bearing in mind that this was also a religious moment for the Balinese and respect from us tourists was an unspoken expectation of the Balinese as they went about their preparations .
The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali's usually bustling streets and roads were empty, ( albeit for only a 24 hours) there no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity were seen . Lucky we had stocked up on pirate DVD's to watch on our laptops as even the TV stations went off air. The only people to be seen outdoors were the traditional Temple security men who patrol the streets with a bamboo switch ,to ensure the prohibitions are being followed.
We had planned our trip to Bali this time to experience this practice, and the days of celebrations and preparations leading up to it. I had decided to travel to Bali with an old work colleague Joyce, who also enjoyed experiencing new and unusual customs, and we spent out first week in Bali in Ubud, a small town located about an hours drive north of the airport and well known for its artistic, musical, and creative residents and smaller surrounding villages. We had been assured by many Balinese friends and acquaintances that Ubud was the place to be in the days leading up to Nyepi. A village full of temples, and Royal palaces, where the Balinese were still steeped in tradition and cultural activities, unlike many of the Locals who over time had been overly influenced by western culture and the need to be anything but Balinese. and located closest to the tourist beaches of Legian & Kuta. ( more commonly known as Bogan heaven to us Travel Snobs who actually travel to experience new cultures not just transport our own Aussie one of Maccas and a VB whilst watching the Footy on a large TV by the pool ! ) to another place .
There are several places where the rituals leading up to Nyepi need to be observed. Each village in Bali has their own temple, their own community, priests,and traditional costumes, etc, so a carefully choreographed timetable is followed, with each group having their own turn at accomplishing this. A visit to Water ( be it the lake or the sea) are essential for purification and cleansing, and we were lucky enough to be in Bedugal visiting the lake and its huge temple complex on one of the days leading up to Nyepi.
Every half an hour or so, a different Village group came down to the lakeside temple, making a lot of noise and carrying offerings to left at the temple as part of their rituals.
These guys were waiting their turn to make as much noise as they could to scare off any Malevolent spirits that might be hanging around...
Bringing offerings down to the temple to be blessed
The Second one to be performed is done in order to vanquish the negative elements and create a balance with God, Mankind, and Nature. This ritual is also meant to appease Batara Kala by Pecaruan offering. Devout Hindu Balinese villages usually make ogoh-ogoh, demonic statues made of richly painted bamboo and styrofoam symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. After a very loud and rambunctious walk where the ogoh-ogoh have been paraded around the village, the Ngrupuk ritual takes place, which involves burning the ogoh-ogoh, after banging of pots , gogns and drums to make sure that any bad spirits have been scared away. This usually takes place at the main cross roads of the village so that they have no where to escape.
Ubud, walking towards the Monkey forest temple down the main street.
Ogah Ogah being walked out to the village cross roads before the inevitable destruction.