Nyepi, also known as Day of Silence, is a
Balinese holiday held every ''Isakawarsa'' ("new year") according to the
Balinese calendar, and it can be traced as far back as 78 A.D.
[Nyepi: Bali's day of Silence](_blank)
Culture, Bali & Indonesia (2009)
The observance includes maintaining silence,
fasting
Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...
, and meditation for
Balinese Hindus. The following day is celebrated as New Year's Day.
After Nyepi, youths in the village of Sesetan in southern Bali practice the ceremony of
omed-omedan, or "kissing ritual".
Rituals
Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for
self-reflection, and anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are on lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and, for some, no talking or eating at all.
The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali's usually bustling streets and roads become empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are visible inside homes. The only people to be seen outdoors are the
pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed.
Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents and tourists are not exempt from the restrictions. Although they are free to do as they wish inside hotels, no one is allowed onto beaches or streets, and the
only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. Tourists who violate these rules can face deportation.
On the afternoon and evening before Nyepi, accessibility on roads is limited. Many local roads are closed for evening parades, making it difficult to navigate by car or motorcycle. Most local restaurants close early, and many ATMs are switched off, with cash removed until the day following Nyepi. Electricity remains operational, however.
The only exceptions granted are for
emergency vehicles responding to life-threatening conditions and women going into labor.
On the day after Nyepi, known as ''Ngembak Geni'' ("relighting the fire"), social activity picks up again, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another and to perform religious rituals together. Fires and electricity are allowed once more, and cooking resumes.

* The Melasti ritual is performed 3–4 days beforehand, within
Hindu temples near the sea and beaches. It is meant to purify the sacred objects ''
pratima'', ''arca'', and ''pralingga'' and to acquire
sacred water from the sea.
* The Bhuta Yajna ritual is performed in order to vanquish negative elements and create balance with God, humankind, and nature. It is also meant to appease
Batara Kala, with offerings of live animal sacrifice. Around sunset, the ''pengrupukan'', or ''ngrupuk'' ceremony begins inside houses, with noisy banging of pots and pans and bamboo tubes along with burning of dried coconut leaf torches to drive out demons.

Most Balinese villages make ''
ogoh-ogoh
Ogoh-ogoh (Balinese script, Balinese: ) is a sculpture art form in Balinese art, Balinese culture that is typically paraded during Pangrupukan, a Balinese Hinduism, Hindu Balinese tradition held to welcome Nyepi (the Saka New Year). This traditio ...
'', demonic statues made of richly painted bamboo,
papier-mâché
file:JacmelMardiGras.jpg, upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti
Papier-mâché ( , , - the French term "mâché" here means "crushed and ground") is a versatile craft technique with roots in ancient China, in which waste paper is s ...
, cloth, and
tinsel
Tinsel is a type of decorative material that mimics the effect of ice, consisting of thin strips of sparkling material attached to a thread. When in long narrow strips not attached to thread, it is called "lametta", and emulates icicles. It was o ...
, symbolising negative elements, malevolent spirits, or even characters from Hindu mythology. After the ''ogoh-ogoh'' have been paraded around the village, they are burned in the cemeteries, although many are displayed in front of community halls for another month or more and sometimes even purchased by museums and collectors.

* The Nyepi rituals are performed as follows:
** Amati Geni: No fire or light, including no electricity
** Amati Karya: No working
** Amati Lelunganan: No travel
** Amati Lelanguan: No revelry/self-entertainment
* The Yoga/Brata ritual starts at 6:00 a.m. and continues until 6:00 a.m. the next day.
* The Ngembak Agni/Labuh Brata ritual is performed for all Hindus to forgive each other and to welcome the new days to come.
* The Dharma Shanti rituals are performed after all the Nyepi rituals are finished.
Dates
In 2024, the ''ogoh-ogoh'' parades were cancelled due to the
general election
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
being so close to the date of the festival and the regional government fearing that the parade may be used to convey political themes. Only villages, in particular traditional ones, were allowed to hold parades.
Related festivals
Nyepi is related to festivals observed by Hindus in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
, although the dates are not the same, due to the use of different calendars. For example, the Hindus of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
term their new year ''
Gudi Padwa
Gudhi Padwa is a spring festival marking the start of the lunisolar new year for Marathi people, Marathi and Konkani people, Konkani Hindus. It is celebrated in and around Maharashtra, Goa and Daman district, India, Daman at the start of ...
'' (in
Marathi: गुढी पाडवा);
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
is celebrate the beginning of their calendar year as ''
Cheti Chand'';
Manipuris celebrate
Sajibu Nongma Panba; and Hindus of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
and
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
celebrate ''
Ugadi
() or (), also known as Samvatsarādi (), is the first day of the year on the Hindu calendar that is traditionally celebrated by the Telugu people and the Kannadigas in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Na ...
''.
Security
Security is provided by
hansip, while the
pecalang are redirected into security roles from their usual tasks such as traffic coordination; both types of security forces report to local village heads.
See also
*
Indian New Year's days
References
External links
*
{{New Year by Calendar
March observances
New Year celebrations
Public holidays in Indonesia
Observances set by the Balinese saka calendar
Festivals in Indonesia
Silence