Popular island without WLAN and electricity: 24 hours of silence every year

Popular island without WLAN and electricity: 24 hours of silence every year

Bali, Indonesia, is one of the most popular holiday destinations worldwide. The streets pulsate with the noise of motorcycles and the happy music that penetrates from the local cafés. But once a year the entire island sinks into silence.

the meaning of nyepi

This day is Nyepi, the Balinese New Year. In contrast to many other cultures, the Balinese Hindus do not celebrate the new year with fireworks, parties or wet and happy celebrations. Rather, they celebrate Nyepi - the day of silence. For a period of 24 hours, starting at 6 a.m., the Balinese Hindus fast, meditate, switch off the electricity and stay at home with their families. Local security officers who patrol Pecalang in the streets to ensure that nobody goes out. In addition to occasional ambulance, there are no vehicles on the streets. The whole island comes to a standstill.

effects on tourists

Regardless of your personal beliefs, all visitors are affected by the holiday atmosphere. The airport and all tourist attractions remain closed, and hotels do not carry out check -ins or -outs during this time.

Amanda Syrowatka, owner of the viceroy bali explains how important it is to manage the expectations of the hotel guests during nyepi. She points out that during the one quiet day the days before due to special rituals that you can't experience anywhere else are very popular with visitors.

what is Nyepi and what does it represent?

The Balinese calendar, also called Saka, has a length of 210 days. Nyepi takes place the day after the new moon of the 10th moon month - this year this is Saturday, March 29th. The day before Nyepi is called Ngrupuk, on which huge monster dolls, the so -called Ogoh Ogoh, which represent evil spirits, are carried around by local children. These dolls need months of production from paper mache and are symbolically burned to the parade.

"From a religious and philosophical point of view, Nyepi should be a day of self -reflection to think about the values ​​of our humanity, love, patience and friendliness that we should accommodate in the rest of the life," says Professor Wayan Ari, academic director of the International School of Training and a local from Bali.

The day before nyepi

ngrupuk is a day to let out all the noise before ringing the new year with introspection. Wayan explains that it is a tradition to go from house to house "to make a torch, a lot of noise, and spit local meswi spices into the corners of the buildings in our farm and to build a 'cross' or tapakdara from white limestone on the feet of our family altars." These actions are a kind of cleaning ritual that is supposed to drive out negative energy and eliminate the bad things of the previous year to start the new year in a pure state.

The experience for visitors during Nyepi

Jero Mangku Tindih is the resort manager in Viceroy Bali. As a local, he enjoys the opportunity to bring other people closer to the beliefs and practices of his culture. He and Syrovatka are working on a special NYEPI package every year to help guests understand and take part in the observed traditions.

tindih and his team speak to the guests in advance and invite them to take part in the Ngrupuk celebrations in the nearby village. The Viceroy website blocks the bookings for NYEPI (guests who arrive before the holiday can stay, but nobody can check in that day or make new reservations) and provide tourists information about the holiday rules before visiting their visit.

Visitors cannot leave their hotels or holiday apartments on Nyepi. If you want to experience a day like a local, you can choose to avoid electronic devices and modern technology. The Viceroy provides three meals - since no restaurants are open - and keeps the pool, the spa and the gym for guests who want to use them.

"We respect our culture, but we also respect our guests," says Tindih. "They do not belong to our religion, which means that our hotel continues to work normally."

special changes this year

This year, however, there is a significant change compared to previous NYEPI festivals. While many hotels and resorts let the WiFi active, the provincial government of Bali has the telecommunications and broadcasting companies on the island asked to switch off on the nyepi tag . For NGRUPUK, interested guests are transported to a nearby village by team members. In addition to the Ogoh Ogoh Parade, you can also observe the fire ritual. Local men ignite coconut shells and throw them together.

While some tourists travel to Bali to experience Nyepi, others will find unprepared on this special day on the island. The American freelance writer Margot Bigg belongs to the last group. Although she was not informed about the festival and the associated regulations when booking her trip in 2019, she received an email from her hotel in Ubud, in which NYEPI was explained and informed about what would happen that day-or would not happen.

"While I might not plan a trip around Nyepi," says Bigg, "I wouldn't find it bad to be back in Bali. It is a nice tradition that we could all benefit from to promote our own spiritual and mental well -being."