JAKARTA, INDONESIA, April 14, 2002: Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali was eerily quiet yesterday, with the international airport closed and tourists confined to their hotels as residents observed the Hindu New Year or Day of Silence. Flights, including those passing over the island, were banned for 24 hours starting at 6:00 a.m. for Nyepi, a day of purification and self-reflection for Hindus. Shipping links to and from the island were also closed for 24 hours. Bali is predominantly Hindu. The rest of Indonesia has a Muslim majority. The holiday began on Friday night, when villages across the island held rituals to send evil spirits out to sea. The island was closed yesterday, according to tradition, to prevent the spirits from returning.
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