This Monday, March 31 will mark my seventeenth consecutive Nyepi on Bali, and I've photo documented each of the past 16 years except for two of them when the parades of Ogoh Ogoh were banned.
Nyepi is of course the Balinese New Year and Indonesia is only place on earth where New Years is a public holiday four times a year…Jan 1, Chinese New Year, Muslim New Year, and Balinese Nyepi. We can all thank past President “Gus Dur” for making the Chinese New Year part of our annual New Year Celebrations.
Nyepi day is the day of silence, inner reflection, meditation, and fasting. When I say silence, I am not kidding, as even the international airport, Ngurah Rai, is totally closed down...no flights in, or out. There are no cars or motorbikes on the road, and everyone is expected to be home, quiet, with lights off, TV off, no phones, no walking about...virtually a day of total silence. Even tourists are obligated to adhere to the severe restrictions of Nyepi.
Nyepi eve, called Tilem Kesanga, is a night of all out insanity, noise, and carrying on of all sorts led by the magnificent ogoh ogoh...those demonic creatures paraded up and down the streets of virtually all villages in Bali. Every village in Bali takes great pride and care in the making of their ogoh, ogoh. These are paraded, up and down the streets mounted on an elaborate bamboo frame, much like those used to carry sarcophagi during cremation ceremonies. At the end of the night, most are burned.
Even the smallest of villages may make as many as five ogoh, ogoh, and the kids make their own, the ogoh, ogoh anak anak. The Balinese are experts at handing down their traditions from generation to generation and that's just one of the many remarkable aspects of Bali.
The Balinese are wonderfully creative in explaining the why of what goes on here to their kids. Having three of my own with my Balinese wife, I have heard this explanation many times:
The idea of Nyepi Eve, with all the ogoh, ogoh, the noise, the bamboo bombs, the yelling, the fireworks, is to attract the attention of all the evil spirits in the world to Bali on the last day of the lunar year. When they arrive, just before dawn on Nyepi Day, we are all hiding and quiet. The evil spirits look around, and finding nothing of interest, they leave for another year. Only in Bali could a child's tale cause a major international airport to close for 24 hours!
You can read more and view several photos here:
http://www.homeinbali.com/forum/topic/6730-nyepi-lagi/
Simply click on the thumbnails to bring to full size, and please keep in mind that this link will not be available on Monday, March 31 in observance of Nyepi.
Selamat hari raya Nyepi tahun Baru Saka 1936!
It’s Nyepi on Bali Again!
Enjoy the silence. I have had an argument with the wife so I am sure the silence will remain all through the long weekend. Happily her icy stares will keep things cool.
For you before Monday, I bet you remember this in colour....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6cR5furQac
“I have had an argument with the wife so I am sure the silence will remain all through the long weekend.”
That used to drive me nuts too Luke…but I've come to appreciate it.
Consider the alternative…a constantly nagging western wife who just doesn't know when to quit! Been there, did that, and will never go back! 
From my experience (other expat friends and multiple Indonesian brothers in law) this seems to be a general “practice” among Indonesian women aside from those from Madura where one really has to be careful that she doesn't go looking for a kris! Wanita dari Madura…wanita pedas! 
S&G…what can I say except thanks for the link, and the memories. 
Cheers amigo!
Enjoy the holiday.
I have anything but silence here.
We have visitors, my father in law and sister in law, a new maid and, just to keep me really busy, we're moving house and my car should be delivered today.
The sister in law is the grand old age of 12 and ready for an SMP but her dad isn't too well off, so we're sending her to a boarding school not to far away from here.
It's pretty cheap so I'll hardly notice the school fees.
Anyway, I'll try to type as quietly as possible on Monday.
It sounds like you've got your hand's full Fred, but if you have half the energy of your bouncing lamb, you'll be fine!
Cheers!
I wish.
The car turned up ... about 3 hours late but it's very nice. We went for a spin into Saturday evening traffic and couldn't find a parking space in ITC, BSD.
That's my welcome to the world of cars in Indonesia.
I've just dropped the lass off at school for her entrance tests. I'll be popping back later to pick her up.
We're going to try to move house this afternoon but the father in law will go home as well so that'll make it late.
Perhaps tomorrow would be better.
Unlike Bali, tomorrow is pretty much an ordinary day ... except for the holiday - A lot of people will be thanking the Hindus for that one.
Can you let your avid fans know what one does or did during Nyepi?
For amateur astronomers, Nyepi evening is glorious because there is absolutely no ground light. Seriously, you'd think you're inside a planetarium on Nyepi night so long as there is no cloud cover.
Also, for families with kids Nyepi can never be as quiet as one might like, but there are all kinds of common sense allowances to keep them happy and somewhat quietly occupied during the 24 hour period of silence.
Tilem Kesanga, the eve before Nyepi day, was excellent this year. Finally there was a ban on fireworks and the ever annoying bamboo bombs which too many kids just don't know how to handle properly. The ogoh ogoh parade in our village was fantastic, but that's been the case each year that I've photo documented them aside from 2009 when the heavens opened up with buckets of rain and they literally melted away before our eyes. One ogoh ogoh in our village was purchased by a tamu for 5 million which isn't common, and not very smart either since they have no longevity what so ever as they are little more than paper mache over a frame made from strips of bamboo. Our parade this year was led by the young ladies association all dressed in uniform tee shirts and sarongs each carrying a flaming torch. That was a nice touch and very dramatic.
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