Forget fireworks, Bali's new year is marked with silence, fasting, meditation

Instead of fireworks and countdowns, Bali will tomorrow ring in its new year, known as Nyepi, in complete silence.

From 6am, the background hum of engines, street vendors, and beats by the beach will be replaced by silence, darkness, and meditation.

For 24 hours, roads and businesses are closed, electricity turns off, and television and mobile reception are restricted.

Village police patrol the streets, ensuring they remain empty.

Tracy Cotton, a photographer from Western Australia, has visited Bali several times to experience Nyepi and got local permissions to capture the event.

"The first time I experienced it, it was quite eerie," she said.

What is Nyepi?

Nyepi is a tradition unique to the Hinduism practised in Bali.

Ravinjay Kuckreja, an indigenous religions researcher at Bali's I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa State Hindu University, said it marked the start of the Saka calendar, an ancient Indian lunar calendar historically used across South Asia and South-East Asia to standardise communication and trade.

Along with trade, Hinduism from India spread to Bali and provided a philosophical and social framework for local indigenous beliefs, Dr Kuckreja said.

I Putu Winastra, a Balinese local and chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA), said Nyepi was the "very opposite" of how the rest of the world celebrated the new year.

Besides emergency services, everyone must stay home, no lights or fire can be used, and noise and activity are kept to a minimum, he said.

"All access to Bali, the port, harbour, the airport, they are all closed on Nyepi day."

Mr Winastra said traditionally there were four restrictions: no going out, no fire, no amusements, and no work.

"We believe the universe is our motherland, so we have to give special celebration and ceremony in order for the motherland to breathe for a full day," he said.

He said the penalties for those who went out depended on local village rules.

In his village, fines were paid in rice, not money, but the associated stigma was most effective at keeping people indoors.

"It's not the amount of penalty itself, but the social penalty that gives the person a bad image," he said.

Ahead of Nyepi, a Melasti ceremony is held where sacred objects from temples are taken to the beach and purified with seawater.

Mr Winastra said Nyepi eve was marked with a ceremony called Pengerupukan where animals were slaughtered as sacrifices to appease bad spirits.

Young people also built Ogoh-Ogoh floats, which were paraded through the streets to symbolise wandering demons to be "exorcised", he said.

These floats were then burned to complete the ritual and dispel evil spirits.

Nyepi officially starts at 6am, as that is when days begin in Balinese culture.

Dr Kuckreja said the deserted streets and lack of human activity signalled to spirits that this world was uninhabited and they should move on.

But on a deeper level, the silence — contrasting with the day before — facilitated a space and time for meditation and self-reflection, he said.

Modern interpretations of ancient beliefs

In the 1980s, school and college students began making the Ogoh-Ogoh floats as interpretations of the spirits that needed to be dispelled, Dr Kuckreja said. 

Over time, the floats have grown more elaborate, and the youth now spend months building them in secret.

Some are taller than powerlines, and the parades have become an attraction themselves.

Ms Cotton was impressed by the artwork, moving parts, and level of intricacy, though she could see how they could be intimidating for young children.

"The colours, every detail right down to the fine hair on the hands, the beards on some of them, we were so fascinated."

Dr Kuckreja said traditionally the floats were burned after Pengerupukan to dispel the spirits.

But as they became more sophisticated and expensive to make, more were being sold or kept in museums or as decorations, he said.

"I wouldn't call them effigies anymore; they're more like robots. They can fly, they can spin. There are lasers and smoke machines. It's complicated stuff."

After some locals began questioning why the "demons" were "being let loose", Dr Kuckreja said many Ogoh-Ogohs started including a symbolic offering like a leaf or coconut that could be burnt as a proxy for the float.

How Nyepi day is spent is also shifting away from its meditative roots.

Instead of fasting, microwaves now provide a workaround for cooking without fire.

Dr Kuckreja said many modern Balinese treat it as a time to spend with family, like a "sleepover" to quietly watch movies and chat, and resorts also offer two-day "Nyepi packages".

He said he used to spend Nyepi in silence, but this year he planned to have a "staycation" with friends.

But there will be no screen time to ensure they spend meaningful time with each other.

He said the best thing to do on Nyepi night was to look up at the sky without any light pollution.

Tips for travellers

Mr Winastra said most foreign tourists appreciated the different experience and "respected this tradition".

He advised visitors to withdraw enough cash from ATMs ahead of the Pengerupukan to last several days.

Mr Winastra also said supermarkets were likely to have long queues on the eve as locals stocked up on groceries, but suggested people not buy extra food as the idea was to fast on Nyepi day.

Most resorts were well prepared to cater to tourists with wi-fi internet, catering, and generators, but those staying in private accommodation should factor in power cuts.

Ms Cotton encouraged everyone to experience Nyepi just once and to learn about the local culture.