Niyepi: The New Year ritual observed in silence
New Year celebration traditions in most parts of the world have one thing in common: Having fun with friends and family members. So, meeting them, eating together, listening to music and even bursting crackers are part of the celebration. But Indonesian island of Bali does just the opposite. The Balinese people welcome their New Year in silence. Yes, you read that right. The Balinese people observe 24 hours of silence and this ritual is known as Nyepi.
When is the Balinese New Year celebrated?
There are two calendar systems followed in Bali: Saka calendar and Pawukon calendar. According to the Saka calendar, which follows the lunar cycle, New Year in Bali falls in the month of March and this is when the Nyepi ritual is followed. However, the date of Nyepi varies every year.
The Saka calendar is comprised of 12 months, 30 days each. But the moon-based cycle being shorter than 30 days, the lunar year spans through 354 or 355 days.
Rituals of the Balinese New Year
The Balinese people New Year is celebrated by the Hindus through six days. They start celebrating the rituals 3-4 ahead of the new year. Here is a snapshot of the rituals.
Melasti: This is the first ritual performed three to four days ahead of the Nyepi day. It is a purification ritual, in which people organise a parade carrying all the sacred objects such as Arca, Pratima, and Pralingga from their temple to a nearby lake or holy spring. These sacred objects are then purified with the holy water of the lake. The ritual is believed to clean the human body and Earth from bad spirits.
Bhuta Yajna Ritual & Ogoh Ogoh Parade: A day before Nyepi, the people perform the Bhuta Yajna Ritual. The ritual is meant to remove all negative elements and bring a balance with God, mankind and nature through Pecaruan, Tawur Kesanga and Caru (purification by offering animal sacrifice and other sacrificial ceremonies). The streets come alive with the sweet sounds of traditional gamelan and reams of colourful offerings. You’ll spot villagers excitedly preparing and sculpting enormous paper mache monsters (called Ogoh-Ogoh) from bamboo and paper. These giant statues are considered evil spirits and are paraded through the streets of Bali, on the evening before Nyepi. There is loud music and bursts of fire with people lining the streets to add to the community spirit. The basic idea behind this ritual is to scare off evil spirits by making unbearable amounts of noise. At the end of the parade, the ogoh-ogohs are burned and the bad spirits are released. It’s a spectacular contrast to the absolute silence that follows the next day.
Nyepi, the Day of Silence: On this day, there is absolute silence in Bali. It is only reserved for self-reflection and anything which could be interfering with that purpose is not allowed. Four rules are followed across the island:
- Amati Geni: No fire or light including no electricity
- Amati Karya: No form of physical activity except things meant for spiritual cleansing and renewal
- Amati Lelunganan: No movement or travelling outside the home
- Amati Lelanguan: No kind of self-entertainment
A Yoga Brata ritual is also followed starting from 6 in the morning on the day of Nyepi to 6 in the morning the next day wherein the more ritualistic Balinese would spend the entire day in meditation and others would stay indoors.
Ngembak Agni or Labuh Brata Ritual: This ritual is undertaken the day after Nyepi, which is the official New Year’s Day. On this day, the Balinese Hindus visit families, neighbours and relatives to ask for forgiveness and to happily welcome the new days to come. Finally, the Dharma Shanti rituals are performed under which Sloka, Kekidung and Kekawi (ancient scripts containing songs and lyrics) are read.
Why do the Balinese people New Year celebrate like this?
Still amused at why the Balinese celebrate their new year in this particular way? Well, Balinese believe that demons come to earth looking for places and people to torment. And the parades a day before are meant to attract these demons to the island. But by the time these evil spirits arrive on the day of Nyepi, they find an island that’s seemingly deserted, with no sign of human life. Therefore, they depart empty-handed, leaving the island evil-free for another year ahead! The last day of the year is the day to cleanse the island from the previous year's misdoings and bad omens and get into a pure and positive year.
Do even outsiders need to follow the customs?
Yes, if you are in Bali, you need to go by the rules. That is, you need to stay inside, not create any noise and keep your activities to the bare minimum.