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
