In Reply to: Nyepi Day in Nusa Dua posted by willnino on Monday, 18. February 2008 at 15:02 Bali Time:
The day before Nyepi in the North of Bali like everywhere in Bali it was a time to scare out all the bad sprits and at about 6pm someone came back with the holy water and a lit fire from the temple to help rid Rambutan of all the evil spirits that had built up over the year. So with this lit fire and holy water and a group of kids with pots and pans to bang on they all trounced around making a racket to scare the bad spirits away, whilst having a great time.
It was then down to the main intersection of Kalibukbuk Lovina to see the Oga Oga parade, where people were letting of fireworks and home made bamboo bazookas were making one hell of a noise to rid the bad spirits away from Lovina. They were then taken down to the beach to be lit in front of the temple in a big bonfire. What a great day for the kids.
Today is now Nyepi day, the day of silence, so as to trick all the bad spirits who had been scared away the previous day to think that Bali had been deserted and therefore no point in coming back. What a lovely peaceful unique day it is, with everyone restricted to their family compounds and I am left in peace to listen to the sounds that are normally drowned out by traffic noise and other human activity.
The day after is also fun, as everyone now gets out and about and there are special activities put on the beach, like a sail race, climbing up slippery poles to get prizes that are tied up the pole.
Don't be frightened to be in Bali over Nyepi, it is a fantastic time to be here and enjoy a unique culture. Where else in the world to they literally shut everything down including airports?
www.rambutan.org