NYEPI BALINESE NEW YEAR 2018

Hotels are asked to cover their windows, all shops are closed, all! No light or candle will be lit in any Balinese home, no cars on the road, no motorbikes, no people. It’s indeed a special experience, not only for the Balinese but also for all the visitors and tourists that are on Bali during Nyepi Day. If you are in Bali during Nyepi make sure you do not plan any traveling or outside activities.

Good to Know about Nyepi

Nyepi is the most important and sacred Hindu holiday on Bali and is a general public holiday in the rest of Indonesia.

The famous ogoh-ogoh parades, where Balinese men (and boys) carry scary creatures of respectable sizes through the streets accompanied by noise and gamelan music is happening on “Nyepi Eve”, the evening of the second day after New Year.

Tourists and visitors are welcome to watch the parades, take pictures and witness this unique spectacle. Some of these ogoh-ogohs are actually burnt after the parade.

On the actual day of Nyepi (3rd day of the 6-day festival) the entire Island is “closed”. The roads are off limit to all types of motorised vehicles and people on foot! The airport is closed. All grocery, clothes and other types of shops are closed. For tourists and Balinese. Restaurants are closed. The Beach is prohibited. Basically anything other then being indoors is restricted. While indoors the inhabitants must ensure that all audio devices are turned down to a minimum volume. As the day draws to an end and the sun sets, the curtains need to be drawn shut, with minimum light being used in ones living quarter. If an airplane was to fly over Bali, the Island would not be seen. To ensure that all the rules are obeyed local watchmen known as Pecalang (Nyepi Police) are deployed all over the Island.

 

Nyepi Parade

The evening before Nyepi day Balinese carry large Ogoh Ogoh through Bali’s streets. Already young kids follow the example of their fathers. The statues are up to 25feet tall and can be very heavy. With the help of a bamboo grid a large group of men carry the ogoh ogoh followed by Balinese gamelan musicians

Melasti Ritual

The first is The Melasti (Melis or Mekiis) Ritual which is dedicated to Sanghyang Widhi Wasa and performed 3–4 days beforehand to acquire sacred water from the sea. The ritual is performed in Pura (Balinese temple) near the sea (Pura Segara) and meant to purify sacred objects such as Arca, Pratima, and Pralingga belonging to several temples. Similar rituals are performed at the Balekambang Beach on the southern coast of Malang, East Java, it is the ritual of Jalani Dhipuja.

 

Nyepi – Day of Silence

The third are the Nyepi Rituals. Nyepi Day!
This day is strictly reserved for self-reflection anything that might interfere with that purpose is strictly prohibited. The inner and outer world is expected to be clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the “force” of the World, hence the mandatory religious control. Nyepi expects a day of absolute silence, based on the four precepts of Catur Brata:
Amati Geni: No fire or light, including no electricity. Prohibition of satisfying pleasurable human appetites.
Amati Karya: No form of physcial working other then that which is dedicated to spiritual cleansing and renewal.
Amati Lelunganan: No movement or traveling.
Amati Lelanguan: Fasting and no revelry/self-entertainment or general merrymaking.

When is Nyepi in Bali?

YearDateCaka Year
2018Saturday, 17th March1940
2019Wednesday, 6th March1941
2020Wednesday, 23rd March1942
2021Sunday, 14th March1943
2022Saturday, 3rd March1944
2023Wednesday, 22 March1945
2024Monday, 11th March1946
2025Saturday, 29th March1947
2026Thursday, 19th March1948
2027Monday, 08th March1949
2028Sunday, 26th March1950
2029Thursday, 15th March1951
2030Tuesday, 5th March1952