BALI, INDONESIA, March 27, 2025 (CNN): Bali, Indonesia is one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations. The streets tingle with the whizz of motorbikes and the happy buzz of music pouring out of local cafes. But one day a year, the entire island falls silent. This is Nyepi, Balinese New Year. Unlike many other cultures, Balinese Hindus don’t mark the new year with fireworks, parties or drinking. Instead, they observe Nyepi, or silence. For a 24-hour period starting at 6 a.m., Balinese Hindus fast, meditate, turn off the electricity and stay home with their families. Local security officers, called pecalang, patrol the streets to make sure no one goes out. There are no cars on the streets save the occasional ambulance. The whole island comes to a halt. Regardless of their personal beliefs, everyone visiting during Nyepi will be affected by the holiday. The airport and all tourist attractions are closed, and hotels do not check anyone in or out during this period.

The Balinese calendar, or Saka, is 210 days long, and Nyepi falls on the day following the new moon of the 10th lunar month — this year, that’s Saturday, March 29. The day before Nyepi is Ngrupuk, when giant monster effigies called ogoh ogoh, representing evil spirits, are paraded around by local children. These effigies take months to make out of papier mache and are symbolically burned after the parade. “From the religious and philosophy point of view, Nyepi is meant to be a day of self-introspection to reflect on values of our humanity, love, patience and kindness that should be within ourselves for the rest of our lives,” says Professor Wayan Ari, academic director of the School for International Training and a Bali native. Ngrupuk, then, is a day to get all the noise-making out of one’s system before marking the new year with introspection. While the majority of Indonesians are Muslim, Bali is an exception by being primarily Hindu. Although Hinduism originated in India, Balinese Hinduism has many different customs and practices. Hindu holidays like Holi and Diwali are much less popular on the island than Nyepi.

More at source.
https://www.weny.com/story/52636110/no-wi-fi-no-electricity-every-year-one-of-the-worlds-most-popular-islands-falls-silent-for-24-hours

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