Shhh!
Nyepi
It s
in Bali
N
yepi is a celebration
like no other, highly
recommended for families
who want to experience
the essence of Balinese culture. It
follows the Hindu Balinese calendar
and takes place around March or
April every year.
On the night before Nyepi, papier
mâché giants – called Ogoh Ogoh
– parade in the streets to scare the
demons and to show off their strength
and power. The Ogoh Ogoh are
designed and built by neighbourhoods
who work collaboratively for weeks
before the event. Adults build huge
Ogoh Ogoh, whilst kids make small
versions of their funny or scary
monsters. This celebration is often
compared to our New Year and it is a
favourite day for many children.
Ogoh Ogoh are extremely
heavy and require at least 20 men
or children to carry their bamboo
podium. Live music accompanies the
parade and all proceed to the largest
crossroads to simulate ferocious
battles. The Ogoh Ogoh are skilfully
manipulated to enact fights, with
sudden movements provoking
surprise and awestruck howls from
the crowd. Humour dominates
the Ogoh Ogoh parade and every
spectator marvels at the ingenuity
and creativity required for such a
show. Whilst most of the creations
are based on Hindu mythology, some
giants are caricatures of famous
people and sometimes of foreign
tourists.
When the Ogoh Ogoh procession
comes to an end, each one of them is
returned back to its neighbourhood,
where it is supposed to be burnt to
give way to next year’s celebrations.
However, year after year, the
tradition is slowly changing and it is
not uncommon to see Ogoh Ogoh
on the side of the roads with a “For
Sale” sign around their neck and a
mobile phone number. Apparently
Americans and Europeans have
been buying and shipping the huge
monsters home as souvenirs!
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On the actual day of Nyepi, Balinese
people say that Yama, the Master of
Hell, opens the doors and unleashes
hordes of demons over Bali. This
threat is taken very seriously
and, in order to anticipate their
arrival, everyone puts offerings at
crossroads, because these are places
where demons like to trick humans
and cause accidents. After a big
ceremony carried out by a Hindu
priest, everyone is invited to make as
much noise as possible with bamboo
sticks. When night falls, firecrackers,
cymbals, gongs and saucepans are
used to call the demons.
The morning after Nyepi begins
a day of silence. Traditionally,
Balinese stay at home to meditate,
pray, fast and spend the day without
electricity. It’s believed that when
the demons see the deserted streets
of the island, they’ll believe that
everyone has left and, therefore, make
their way back to Hell. Pacalang
are special ceremonial guardians,
men in traditional uniforms, not
unlike a neighbourhood police force,
who patrol the streets to enforce
the tradition in case someone is out
walking or a household is making too
much noise. Watch out, because you
will be reprimanded!
If you decide to visit Bali during
Nyepi, plan ahead because even the
airport closes down for the day, since
the demons could not be tricked if they
saw planes landing or taking off. You
will find that big hotels and villas offer
package deals for Nyepi and, although
it is not possible to go out on the streets,
you can still have a fantastic time within
the hotels. They usually prepare beautiful
buffets of Balinese food and time is spent
lazing by the pool. There’s a different
atmosphere that day and the silence
wrapping the island can almost be felt.
This year, Nyepi falls on 31
March. So, don’t be scared; go and
meet the incredible Ogoh Ogoh and
help them chase the cunning demons,
all in good spirit!
’
This is your chance to meet colossal ogres and help them fight
demons in the ultimate battle of good versus evil. It’s a celebration
of monsters, demons and… silence, writes
Laetitia Chanéac-Knight.
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