Life stops in Bali as Hindus celebrate Day of Silence

EARTH HOUR may have seen cities across Indonesia go dark for an hour on Saturday night, but all of Bali will go without noise, activity or electricity for 24 hours on Tuesday.

Most of Indonesia’s Hindu population live on the island of Bali, in what is the largest Muslim-majority nation on earth.

Nyepi festivities started on Saturday for Melasti, when Balinese carried sacred objects from Hindu temples into the sea for blessings and purification.

On Monday, the night before Hari Raya Nyepi, large statues of Balinese demons named Ogoh-Ogoh were paraded through the streets before being lit on fire and ritualistically destroyed.

The Day of Silence is intended to ward off evil spirits – the belief is that if Bali remains quiet, the spirits will think it uninhabited and fly over the island.

Local watchmen known as Pecalang roam the streets ensuring everybody complies with the rules of Nyepi. Roads, shops, restaurants and beaches are closed and off-limits for Balinese people and tourists alike.

Denpasar International Airport, the country’s third busiest as the gateway to the tourist island, will be shut for 24 hours from 6am on Tuesday.

The day following Nyepi is known as Ngembak Geni, when families gather to perform religious rituals and ask for forgiveness from each other.

Balinese Hindu children put a mask on their face as joint on Ogoh-ogoh festival, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 27, 2017. Source: Reuters/Beawiharta

Many businesses in the tourist hotspot delivered their best wishes to Balinese observers of Nyepi via social media.

The Australian Consulate-General in Bali alerted its citizens to the holiday, urging them to show respect for Balinese cultural traditions.

Jakarta’s governor sent his best wishes via Instagram.

Selamat Hari Suci Nyepi Tahun Baru Saka 1939. Selamat menunaikan Brata Penyepian. Semoga dalam khidmat perenungan diri, kita menemukan kedamaian hati. Bisa senantiasa membawa kita kembali kepada sifat-sifat asli luhur, menjauhi angkara, menambahkan tenggang rasa, dan selalu bersyukur atas rahmat Yang Kuasa.

A post shared by Ahok BasukiTPurnama (@basukibtp) on Mar 27, 2017 at 6:20pm PDT

Even the Indonesian capital was quiet during the Nyepi public holiday, reported one netizen.

Last Friday, US President Donald Trump’s Indonesian business partner Hary Tanoesoedibjo announced a proposed “six-star” hotel and golf resort would respect Hindu traditions considering community opposition to the development.

He had previously denied any existing problems with the local community.

The resort is refurbishing an existing hotel complex near the Tanah Lot temple, a sensitive cultural and spiritual site for many Balinese.

Tanoesoedibjo’s MNC Group aims to start operations at the resort in 2019 or 2020, said a company official.

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Source: travelwireasia.com