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Nyepi: The Balinese New Year

I apparently missed the boat (the date shifts each year depending on the lunar cycle) but on March 7th, 2008 Bali celebrated Nyepi, or the Balinese Hindu New Year. It is a day of complete silence, and people spend their time fasting and in prayer. Roads are closed, and people are expected to stay inside their homes. Even the airport is closed. Tourists are likewise expected to stay inside their hotels, to ensure that the island is kept as quiet as possible. However, the Balinese New Year’s eve is anything but quiet…

 

Starting about a month before the holiday, each small village begins construction of an ogoh-ogoh, or monster, constructed out of a variety of materials, ingenuity, and cooperation. Bamboo generally comprises the “skeletal” structure, while foam or paper mache often make up the “skin”. Like the rest of their pursuits, the Balinese demonstrate a high degree of craftmenship and pride to their ogoh-ogoh construction. The creatures are built on a bamboo platform such that they can be easily lifted and carried around. I would hazard a guess that a well made ogoh-ogoh takes a couple hundred hours of labor to construct when all said and done.

The completed monster:

 

On Nyepi eve, everyone from the village comes out to the main street to watch their ogoh-ogoh come to life. In larger villages multiple ogoh-ogoh are paraded out together. Should you be lucky enough to be in Bali during Nyepi, try to be in the town of Ubud (the arts and craft center of Bali), as their ogoh-ogoh procession is one of the best.

The men of the village carry their ogoh-ogoh on their shoulders into the main street and then begin to move in unison; dipping, turning, and shifting side to side. A well made ogoh-ogoh flexes and bends when carried properly. The monster comes alive high above the crowd. The crowd shouts and applauds their favorite ogoh-ogoh.

Even the children have their own ogoh-ogohs…

 

At the end of the night, the ogoh-ogoh are set on fire and return to the Earth. These unique pieces of art disintegrate, only to be reincarnated again in a new form the following year.

So why, and what’s the point of all this (aside from being an awesome visual spectacle)?

The ogoh-ogoh are created to scare away evil spirits from the island. By staying silent and indoors on the following day, any lingering evil spirits (not scared off from the ogoh-ogoh) are supposed to be duped into thinking that everyone left Bali, and therefore not a place worth haunting (if you are an evil spirit that is). Of course from a practical standpoint, a day of rest, meditation, and fasting is important for the Balinese soul.

Nyepi is just one example of Bali’s beautiful culture and traditions that are still strong and vibrant in the face of modernization. Fortunately the Balinese have realized that the stronger their culture identity remains intact, the more people from around the world will come and bring their tourism dollars. If you get the chance, be sure to visit this wonderful island. And if the culture wasn’t beautiful enough, don’t forget your scuba gear…