A big part of the Nyepi pre-game show is the parade of ogoh ogoh’s, the large monsters that scare ghosts away from Bali. Riding around this afternoon I saw all kinds. I don’t know where the tradition began, but over the years the ogoh ogoh’s have incorporated modern elements. I remember once seeing an ogoh ogoh doing a wheelie on a Vespa. One ogoh ogoh that was parked outside JP’s Warung on Jl. Dhyana Pura looked like a scene from a horror movie, with the monster ripping someone’s guts out.
Another on Gang Plawa, held a sword and had a maiden over its shoulder. The Balinese are very creative and a panel of senior banjar men will judge the ogoh ogoh parade later. They take it seriously, this is part of their religion / culture. With this vivid mythology its obvious that Bali cannot be controlled from Jakarta and is indeed a very unique island. Ika and I might stroll down to the corner around 9pm to check out the festivities. Its a cool time to be in Bali and some of the ‘old wood’ expats crawl out of their hole decked out in Balinese gear for the occassion.
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