"Nyepi Day in Bali is a New Year celebration unlike anywhere else on the planet. Bali’s celebrates the Saka New Year as the Bali Day of Silence, an ultimately quietest day of the year, when all of the island's inhabitants abide by a set of local rules, which brings all routine activities to a complete halt. Roads all over Bali are void of any traffic and nobody steps outside of their home premises.
The unique day of silence marks the turn of the Saka calendar of western Indian origin, one among the many calendars assimilated by Indonesia’s diverse cultures, and among two jointly used in Bali. The Saka is 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar, and follows a lunar sequence. Nyepi follows after a new moon.
Village meeting halls known as ‘banjar’ and streets feature papier-mâché effigies called ogoh-ogoh, built throughout the weeks leading up to the Saka New Year. Youth groups design and build their mythical figures with intricately shaped and tied bamboo framework before many layers of artwork. These artistic creations are offshoots of the celebration since its dawning in the early 80s, which stayed on to become an inseparable element in the island-wide celebration that is Nyepi Eve" -Information curtesy of: Bali Information
Please enjoy the following images from Nyepi Eve, the final preparation leading up to the Ogoh Ogoh parades and performances. The night performance photos and video are all from Pererenan's Banjar's amazing Ogoh2, they all had unreal talent with their music, dancing, singing and of course their Ogoh2s. It was an honor to have a front row seat.
The below images are the actual evening of Nyepi, no lights, no sounds just nature at it full glory! I highly recommend everyone experiencing this special holiday once in their lives and I think the world would benefit if everywhere on earth had just one day of silence and reflection per year.
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