In Indonesia Nyepi is only celebrated on the small tourist Island of Bali. The festivity is the Hindu Dharma New Year of the solar/lunar (Caka) calendar. The Balinese New Year!
The main intention of this ceremony is for the cleansing of the world and the ‘universe’ within men, by praying to God (Hyang Widhi Wasa). It is also a day to dwell on and augment sincere harmony and acceptance between people, accepting both their similarities and differences.
What makes this Bali celebration so distinctive is that it occurs on Spring Equinox and it a day of complete quietness. There is no daily activity or business occurring on this day. It is not possible to use transport, no fires can be lit and no outdoor labor is to be done. No TV or radio are to be used.
For this reason you will find no one on the roads in Bali which is quite surprising for tourists that have not experienced a Bali Nyepi. The local Pecalangs, also known as the traditional Balinese security men, who control and check the streets of every village in Bali, on Bali Nyepi are out on patrol and their responsibility, other then security control, is to make sure that there is no activity that may interrupt the Bali Nyepi.
Purification sacrifices and offerings are to be found at road intersections and in the centers of most villages in Bali, one day before before Nyepi, (the last day of the old year). Each area has their own specific tradition but in most ceremonies priests chant mantras, and people bang gongs and cymbals to exorcise the demons (buta and kala) of the old year. This is a very popular time for tourists to view and take photos of one of the most colorful and active ceremonies in Bali.
In areas where there are temples at the beach, the villagers walk in a parade from their homes to the beach, taking objects from their "home temples" to have them cleansed and renewed. In some cases you will see spears or torches being carried by the men, this is to keep the evil spirits at a distance.
In the capital city of Bali, Denpasar literally thousands of men congregate in the streets, totally the opposite of the next day, Nyepi where the streets are dead quiet!
How does Nyepi affect tourists? Most of the major hotels allow their guests to use the facilities on the hotel property however with the understanding that the guests don’t venture outside the property. The Denpasar Airport (Ngurah Rai) and sea ports are closed for the whole of Nyepi. At the airport only emergency stopovers are permitted and special accommodation and travel permits are issued for medical evacuations, ambulance and emergency service vehicles.
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