Nyepi Day 2006 in Bali

Nyepi, the Balinese ‘Day of Silence’ will be on March 30th 2006. For people planning a trip to Bali in March, you should take this into account. Nyepi is the day when the whole island is ritually cleansed and no one is allowed out on the street, including tourists.

The night before Nyepi, tall monsters (ogah ogah’s) are carried around town on bamboo platforms. This is to scare away evil spirits. After midnight everyone must return home incase the evil spirits return. For the next 24 hours everyone in Bali pretends that no one is home, lights are off, TV’s tuned off, no shouting or going outside. The evil spirits will departs and leave Bali along for another year when they are satisfied.

For tourists this mean there are no flights in or out of the island for 24 hours, no going to th beach and no partying (unless you are staying in a resort). For people in a guest house you will either have to get comfortable and wait it out, or take a trip to Lombok.

It is unique, that in the 21st Century, a culture still values its cermonies over economy.