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Nyepi (Silent Day)

Bali's Cultures

Nyepi (Silent Day)Metatah (Cutting Teeth)GalunganDanceBarongMaskSesajen (Ritual Offering)PecalangNgaben

Dancing on Melasti Festival

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Nyepi (silent day) is a series of celebrations to welcome the Caka New Year in Balinese Hindu religion. Nyepi has been celebrated in Bali since the era of Majapahit. The essence of the feast of Nyepi is a self-introspection and reflection before Caka New Year. For that a tranquil and quiet atmosphere is required to clear the mind and to ask the Creator that next year all the mistakes done in the existing year will not be repeated again in the coming New Year.

Nyepi celebration series started by conducted what Balinese people called as Tawur (pencaruan), it is a self consecration of Bhuta Kala (evil leaders in the Balinese Hindu belief), and of all filthiness. Tawur is conducted by giving specific offerings as every home.

Ogoh-OgohTawur ceremony is followed by Pengerupukan festival which aims to drive Bhuta Kala from the home environment, yards and surrounding. Pengerupukan festival is conducted by spreadingrice of tawur, lighting the house and all the yards with torch, spraying the house and yard with ammunition, and pummel anything to make noises. Usually the people in Bali enliven the ceremony of Pengerupukan by conducting the pageant of Ogoh-Ogoh, sculptures made from bamboo as a symbol of the Bhuta Kala. Ogoh-Ogoh are carried to the whole environment and then burned together.

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Melasti FestivalThe next is a series of ceremonies is Melasti Festival. Melasti ceremonies are usually held three days before Nyepi. The essential of Melasti Festival is to drawn away the people's suffering, to diminish the suffering and lewdness of the universe. It’s symbolized by carrying the symbols of Gods to the sources of the water, such as the sea, rivers or lakes. Therefore, the end and the core of the Melasti Festival is done in water resources, either in the sea, rivers or lakes.

Nyepi is conducted after Melasti Festival. There are four main things to do on Nyepi Day: Amati Geni, not to light a fire or other objects that contain elements of light; Lelungan Amati, not traveling; Lelaguan Amati, not to enjoy any kind of entertainment; and Amati Karya, not to do activities. Those four cases are known by the term Catur Bratha Penyepian.

The last in a series of Nyepi is called as Ngembak Geni. Ngembak Geni is the day when Caka New Year is started.