The Rituals and Ceremonies of Nyepi in Bali

 Bali is immersed in superstition, rituals & ceremonies. 

In reality there are ceremonies for just about everything. During a recent visit to Bali, I discovered roads closed for wedding ceremonies, burial ceremonies, blessing of babies and many other reasons. However the most important is the ritual of Nyepi which is celebrated annually. Similar to Easter, the date of Nyepi is decided by the full moon. This year, 2015, it was celebrated on the 21st March and I was fortunate enough to be there at that time. The definite date is dictated by the Hindu Balinese Saka calendar.

The spiritual Balinese Nyepi festival. Nyepi symbolizes the beginning of the Balinese New Year known as Saka, which is celebrated in harmony with the ancient Hindu calendar. It dates back 1937 years and is considered to be one of the most propitious events in the Balinese religious calendar. It is a ritual seriously celebrated by all Balinese who belong to the Hindu belief. Nyepi is a time to reflect on the deeds and happenings of the past year and to purify the evil spirits so they are not carried into the New Year.

The Blessing of the Holy Water

The blessing of the holy water takes place 3-4 days before Nyepi. It is known as the Melasti ritual, and is performed in a temple near the sea (Pura Segara). The holy water is distributed to the local temples to use in their celebrations. During this ceremony sacred objects known as Acra, Pratima and Pralingga which belong to local temples are also blessed

The Blessing of the Nyepi Offerings

On the day before Nyepi religious ceremonies known as the Bhuta yajna Ritual, take place in the temples and on the street. These ceremonies bless the offerings used during the Nyepi celebrations. This ritual builds a balance between God, nature and mankind. The ceremony includes a cock fight to attain the blood necessary for the offerings followed by prayers encompassing flowers and blessings with holy water. The Brahman was dressed in an elaborate golden crown. Gold is a very important feature of Balinese ceremonial jewelry. We were invited to a baby’s 3 month blessing where the child was adorned with gold bangles on both ankles and wrists.

The Gamelan which is a traditional Balinese instrument are played during the ceremony.

The Ogoh-Ogoh Parade

On the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese embrace the ritual procession known as Tawur Kesanga or Ogoh-Ogoh parade. The community and families devote weeks crafting titanic effigies called Ogoh-Ogoh. Every village constructs at least one Ogoh-Ogoh. The Ogoh-Ogoh are large, tall demonic statues of monsters built from bamboo and paper and stand on a wooden platform. They symbolize negative features and evil spirits and often have the form of mythological beings or demons.

These monster creations are paraded through the streets in a noisy procession on the eve of the Nyepi to prevent evil forces from troubling the harmony of Bali. They are held by groups of villagers comprising youth and children from the village. The parade is escorted by young musicians playing the traditional Balinese instruments. The Ogoh-Ogoh are rotated counter clockwise three times at each intersection of the village so as to confuse the evil spirits so that they go away and cease harming human beings.

Balinese instruments include:the Gamelan, bronze and bamboo xylophones; gongs and a number of gong chimes, the trompong (a solo instrument); and a variety of percussion instruments such as cymbals, bells and drums; two sizes of bamboo flutes; the anklung (a bamboo rattle); the rebab (two-stringed spike fiddle).

During the Ogoh-Ogoh parade, children carry flame torches or flares to light bonfires to symbolically burn the evil spirits which are symbolized in the Ogoh-Ogoh. The burning of the Ogoh-Ogoh is known as the Ngrupuk Ritual. The burning of the Ogoh-Ogoh to ashes is a symbol of purification. The key reason of the Ogoh-Ogoh is the purification of the natural environment of any spiritual impurities created by the actions of living creatures especially humans. The Ogoh-Ogoh symbolize Bhuta-Kala, which, according to Hindu teachings, represent eternal energy (Bhuta) and eternal time (Kala).

Nyepi, The Day of the Silence

Nyepi which is known as the day of the silence starts at 6 am on Saturday morning and lasts until 6 am on Sunday morning. Nyepi is a day of self-reflection, fasting and meditation for the Balinese Hindu people. All doings which may restrict that practice are prohibited. Nyepi is a public holiday in Bali and all shops, schools, roads, beaches and even the airport are closed. No one is allowed to leave their homes. They devote the day reflecting on the previous year and plan for the New Year. The only public on the streets are the Pecalang who are the security men who patrol the streets to make sure the prohibitions are being followed by all. The only other exclusions are the emergency vehicles required to take sick people or women giving birth to hospital.

There are many prohibitions and restrictions in place on the Day of the Silence which all Balinese residents both Hindus and Non-Hindus as well as tourists honor. The key restrictions are: no working; no lighting of fires; lights must be kept low; noise must be kept to a minimum; no entertainment, no pleasure; no sex; no travelling, no TV or radio and some Balinese also practice no eating and no talking during Nyepi. The outcome of these prohibitions is that Bali’s streets which are typically busy with vendors and motor bikes are unoccupied and there is no noise from TV’s or radios, or light from street-lights, houses, hotels etc.

Tourists are permitted to move about within the limitations of their hotels, but they are not permitted on the streets or the beaches. At my hotel all the open-air dining areas were closed at 6 pm and the inside restaurants had thick black curtains on them so the light from the restaurant could not shine through. We could not turn on the balcony lights and we were requested to keep noise to a minimum. The hotel passages were lit by candles and this gave a dreamy glow to guide guests to our rooms. TV was not presented on the networks, but the hotel did make movies accessible.

The ideal understanding revealed during this festival was that these ancient rituals are respected by all citizens and visitors in Bali. Non-Hindus including Muslims, Christians, Jews, and those practicing Buddhism all recognize the meaning of this festival and observe the restrictions that the festival invokes. Tourists are welcome to do what they like within the confines of their hotel, but they are not permitted onto the beaches or the streets.

New Year’s Day

The day after Nyepi is celebrated as New Year’s Day by the Balinese Hindus. On this day the Balinese youth practice the ceremony of Omed-omedan also known as the kissing ritual. The day after Nyepi is known as Ngembak Geni. This is a significant family day where families and friends gather together to socialize, ask forgiveness from each other and to carry out religious rituals to welcome in the New Year.

 Bali Sunset