On the Balinese New Year the whole island stops for 24 hours — no fire or lights, no work, no travel, no entertainment, and even the airport closes — after a night in which villages parade giant demon figures, the ogoh-ogoh, through the streets to drive evil away.

Purifying before the new year

Nyepi comes from sepi, meaning silent, and marks the Hindu solar new year of the Saka era, which began in 78 AD. Three or four days before, the Melasti ritual is held at temples near the sea and on beaches, to purify sacred objects and collect holy water from the sea. On the eve of Nyepi comes the Bhuta Yajna, meant to defeat negative forces and restore balance between God, people and nature. At sunset the ngrupuk begins: people bang pots, pans and bamboo tubes and burn torches of dried coconut leaves to drive out demons.

Most Balinese villages build ogoh-ogoh for the night — demonic figures of painted bamboo, papier-mâché, cloth and tinsel that stand for negative elements and evil spirits, or characters from Hindu mythology. After being paraded around the village they are burned, although many are displayed in front of community halls for a month or more.

A day of silence

From 6 am the island falls silent for 24 hours, a day given over to self-reflection, fasting and meditation. Four prohibitions apply: amati geni, no fire or light; amati karya, no work; amati lelungan, no travel; and amati lelanguan, no entertainment. The streets are empty, and the only people outside are the pecalang, traditional village security men who patrol to make sure the rules are kept. Exceptions are made only for emergency vehicles and women in labour.

The next day, Ngembak Geni — “relighting the fire” — families and friends gather to ask one another’s forgiveness and pray together, and fires, lights and cooking return.

कब होता है

Nyepi marks the New Year of the Saka calendar and moves each year. In 2027 it falls on Monday 8 March. Silence is kept from 6 am to 6 am the next day; the ogoh-ogoh parades take place on the evening before, and the Melasti purification three or four days earlier.

8 मार्च 2027आधिकारिक घोषणा

सम्मान के साथ जाएँ

इनसे बचें

Visitors are not exempt. Stay inside your hotel or accommodation for the whole day: no one is allowed on the streets or beaches, and Ngurah Rai International Airport is closed.
Local custom requires everyone in Bali to stay indoors, turn off lights and make no noise. Tourists who break the rules can face deportation or prosecution.

सुरक्षित रहें

On the afternoon and evening before Nyepi many roads close for the parades, most restaurants shut early and many ATMs are emptied until the day after. Get cash and supplies in advance.
Emergency services and hospitals keep working during Nyepi.

स्रोत

यह प्रविष्टि इन स्रोतों के आधार पर लिखी गई है।