If you are landing in Bali on March 21 and plan to have an adventure-filled day on March 22, you will have to push your plans back by a day.
Starting 6 AM on March 22, Bali will observe a day of silence, better known as Nyepi, which is a Hindu celebration, marking the start of a new year.
So What Exactly Is Nyepi
Nyepi or the day of silence is a public holiday in Indonesia. The day following Nyepi is celebrated as the New Year's day. It is a day of silence, fasting and meditation for the locals of Bali.
This year, Nyepi will be observed from 6 AM on March 22, and end 24 hours later at 6 AM on March 23. On this day, roads, airports, and every possible social activity is prohibited in Bali. Even flights are re-routed so that the silence below is not disturbed.
On that day, people usually meditate, fast, and spend time with their families. The day after Nyepi is also celebrated as Ugadi in India.
Significance Of Nyepi
Residents of Bali observe the day of silence to cleanse the island of all misdoings and bad omen of the year gone by and set the base for a pure and positive new year.
While complete silence is observed during Nyepi, there is a grand parade held 24 hours before the said day, where villagers create large monsters, locally known as Ogoh-Ogoh, and parade them through the streets. The parade is accompanied with loud music and bursting of fire crackers.
Legend has it that the parade is done to catch the attention of the evil spirits who are looking for colonies to torment. The parade is followed by silence, which implies that by the time the evil spirits arrive, they would find everything deserted and depart without success, leaving the island for another positive year.
What About Non-Residents?
That doesn't matter. Whether you are a resident of Bali or not, Hindu or non-Hindu, the day of silence has to be observed by each and every person present in Bali on that day.
Even hotels have instructions for travellers to keep music at the lowest possible volume and not venture out on that particular day. While in-hotel Wi-Fi services are available, television services are shut.
Guests are also instructed to minimise the usage of light during that 24-hour period.
We were strangers to lockdowns until 2020, but Bali observes a lockdown once every year dating back to as early as 78 A.D.
