wanderlust wednesday; nyepi in bali

Nyepi is the Balinese "Day of Silence," celebrated every new year, or Isaawarsa. It is a traditionally Hindu celebration, but is only celebrated in Bali, Indonesia. We were lucky enough to have been in Bali over Nyepi. We didn't know a thing about it and were pretty surprised when we were told that it is a complete day of silence, and no one is exempt. Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are: no lighting fires, no electricity, no working, no entertainment or pleasure, no traveling (the airport is closed), and for some, no talking or eating at all. 

The only people to be seen outdoors are the Pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed. We tried to sneek out to see these men. It was pitch black and silent and we crept along an alley way hoping to catch a glimpse, but their flashlight found us first and we were chased back to out guest house. If you are caught not observing Nyepi, you are usually forced to clean the temples the next day. 

On the day after Nyepi, known as Ngembak Geni, social activity picks up again quickly, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another, and to perform certain religious rituals together.

According to Wikepedia, here is a breakdown of the festivities the week before Nyepi. The photos are all mine taken during the Melasti Ritual.

• First, The Melasti Ritual is performed 3-4 days beforehand. It is dedicated to Sanghyang Widhi Wasa. The ritual is performed in Pura (Balinese temple) near the sea (Pura Segara) and meant to purify Arca, Pratima, and Pralingga (sacred objects) belonging to several temples, also to acquire sacred water from the sea.

• Second, The Bhuta Yajna Ritual is performed in order to vanquish the negative elements and create a balance with God, Mankind, and Nature. The ritual is also meant to appease Batara Kala by Pecaruan offering. Devout Hindu Balinese villages usually make ogoh-ogoh, demonic statues made of bamboo and paper symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. After the ogoh-ogoh have been paraded around the village, the Ngrupuk ritual takes place, which involves burning the ogoh-ogoh.

The ogoh-ogoh are gruesome things to see! There come in every variety of monster- though we saw an awful lot of saggy boobs on some these creatures, maybe the Balinese are afraid of saggy bits.

• Third, the Nyepi Rituals are performed as follows:
  • Amati Geni: No fire or light, including no electricity
  • Amati Karya: No working
  • Amati Lelunganan: No travelling
  • Amati Lelanguan: Fasting and no revelry/self-entertainment
• Fourth, the Yoga/Brata Ritual starts at 6:00 a.m. and continues to 6:00 p.m. the next day.
• Fifth, the Ngembak Agni/Labuh Brata Ritual is performed for all Hindus to forgive each other and to welcome the new days to come.
• Sixth and finally, The Dharma Shanti Rituals is performed after all the Nyepi rituals finished. ^[3]

Have you ever seen Nyepi or anything like it?

The quietist of quiet and the darkest of dark

Well I forgot we never told you about the actual Nyepi Day (Silent Day). We weren't sure how serious silent day was going to be, but when we woke up in the morning and tried to sneak out of our guest house, there were people guarding the street and police cars patrolling the roads for anyone that was breaking Nyepi. Anyone caught would be punished by cleaning the many, many temples around the area. Needless to say, we stayed in...we played cards, ate pb & j's and watched movies, so it wasn't too bad- although the people at the Hyatt were not even allowed to leave there room or have access to electricity! We were allowed to have lights as long as the blinds were closed.  Once it was nightfall, we did another sneak out mission and were blinded by the complete darkness. We have never seen a city go completely black, for an entire night, but it was amazing and similar to camping. The next day it was like Nyepi never even happened, the only evidence being 10 foot tall monsters still guarding the street (and a couple of random monster limbs scattered on the ground).

 

We left Sanur and headed to Ubud with a couple new card games, although minus two friends. Ubud is interesting. It used to be a small village but is now the epi-center of all things hippie. I feel like being a hippie here is like when you were thirteen and everyone wore ties because Avril Lavigne did...Despite the trendiness of hippieness, I rather like Ubud and I feel quite happy about all the things that hippies have brought to this place... like:

Yoga

Organic food

Organic clothes

Tempe/tofu-well vegetarian food in general!

Vegan baked goods

No MSG!

So Brian and I have settled into a little Ubud routine, mainly wandering around and stumbling upon beautiful hotels, rice patties, and great food. 

Bali,Bali,Bali

Thousands of people wearing white robes took over the roads yesterday in Sanur. It is almost a week of festivities approaching Nyepi, the Balinesian day of silence. Nyepi is a crazy holiday, not only is the airport closed but tourists aren't even allowed outside of their hotel- so we did what any American threatened with a lack of eating ammenities would do...we raided a local grocery store for peanut butter, jam, and oreos...classic! Here is a breakdown of the craziness, thanks to wikipedia:

• "First, The Melasti Ritual is performed at the 3-4 previous day. It is dedicated to Sanghyang Widhi Wasa and is performed at the beach to respect them as the owner of The Land and Sea. The ritual performed in Pura (Balinese temple) near the sea (Pura Segara) and meant to purify Arca, Pratima, and Pralingga (sacred objects) belongs to several temples, also to acquire sacred water from the sea.
• Second, The Bhuta Yajna Ritual is performed in order to vanquish the negative elements and create balance with God, Mankind, and Nature. The ritual also meant to appease Batara Kala by Pecaruan offering. Devout Hindu Balinese villages usually make ogoh-ogoh, demonic statues made of bamboo and paper symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. After the ogoh-ogoh have been paraded around the village, the Ngrupuk ritual takes place, which involves burning the ogoh-ogoh."
• Third, The Nyepi Rituals is performed with the following conditions:
  • Amati Geni: No fire/light, including no electricity
  • Amati Karya: No working
  • Amati Lelunganan: No travelling
  • Amati Lelanguan: Fasting and no revelry/self-entertainment
• Fourth, The Yoga/Brata Ritual starts at 6:00 AM  (March 5) and continues to 6:00 AM the next day.
• Fifth, The Ngebak Agni/Labuh Brata Ritual is performed for all Hindus to forgive each other and to welcome the new days to come.
• Sixth and finally, The Dharma Shanti Rituals is performed as the Nyepi Day or "Day of Silence."

-The ogoh-ogoh are gruesome things to see! There come in every variety of monster- though we have seen an awfull lot of saggy boobs on some these creatures, maybe the Balinese are afraid of saggy bits.

We will take photos tonight of the monster mash and post them the day after tomorrow, because we are grounded tomorrow...

Here's some photos of Bali and it's people: