Balinese New Year Or Nyepi Day

New Year’s Day in the West might mean a hangover, a walk and a pub lunch. In Bali, New Year is welcomed in a very different manner – with a day of silence.

The largely Hindu Indonesian island celebrates Nyepi – Silent Day – by completely shutting down for 24 hours, shops are closing early,No internet  ATMs aren’t working and streets are being closed. From 6am tomorrow (7 March) until 6am on Thursday (the date changes annually following the lunar calendar), no one will leave their home. Religious rules state there should be no traffic, no fire, no work and no pleasure. Streets are eerily empty, shops and restaurants remain closed, the beaches are shut, use of electricity is kept to a minimum, there’s no transport – even the airport closes – and the pecalang community police go on patrol, ensuring compliance and reprimanding anyone who steps outside their premises.

“It’s a day for contemplation, to meditate, to fast, to go inside yourself and reflect on the past year,People stay quietly with their families, it’s a very special day.”
New Year rituals start three days before Nyepi, with Melasti purification ceremonies on beaches. Every village makes a pilgrimage to the coast, taking sacred temple objects for cleansing and blessings,Festivities continue for two days after Nyepi too, with visits to friends and family to ask for forgiveness and temple ceremonies.

If you’re visiting Bali at the time of Nyepi, hotel restaurants and other facilities are usually open – often with a more basic menu – but you won’t be able to leave your accommodation and no one can check-in. If you’re in a private villa you’ll be expected to keep the noise down and lights off, even if you choose not to observe total silence.

The Balinese have countless festivals and ceremonies year-round, but Nyepi is a particularly interesting time to visit – a new year unlike any other.