The day of Nyepi is a very important occasion for the Balinese. Falling at the dawn of the New Year according to the Balinese traditional calendar, Nyepi is a Hindu festivity which is native to Bali. A national holiday in Indonesia, Nyepi is a time for fasting, silence and meditation for the people of Bali. The subsequent day is celebrated as the commencement of the New Year, and is also a day of festivity.

Nyepi is observed strictly, from 6 am in the morning to the same hour the following day. The occasion is considered to be a time for self-reflection, when any diversions and activities which might hinder with this objective are proscribed. Accordingly on this day there are many restrictions on the Balinese Hindu faithful. Working, pleasure or entertainment and travelling are all forbidden. Some with additional zeal also observe a total cessation on eating and conversation on this day. Accordingly the streets of Bali, normally busy and teeming, are empty on this occasion and no sound from radios or TVs are to be heard. Little movement or activity is to be discerned even within homes, and the only ones outside are traditional vigilantes, the Pecalang, who roam the streets to ascertain that the traditions are being observed.

Despite Nyepi being fundamentally a Hindu observance, even non-Hindu Balinese participate in the time of solitude, as a gesture of harmony with their fellow residents. Even visitors from abroad are obliged to refrain from venturing into the streets and beaches, although they may do as they like within the hotels in which they are staying.

However on the following day social activities regain momentum, as friends and families meet one another to exchange salutations of forgiveness with each other, so as to start relationships afresh in the new year.

Many interesting rituals are associated with Nyepi. One of the most colourful is the construction of ‘ogoh-ogoh’, representations of demons and malevolent spirits made from paper and bamboo, which are carried around villages and then ceremonially burned.

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Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
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