Melasti Ritual
The beginning of Nyepi Day in Bali starts with Banjars making their way to the edges of beaches, rivers, and lakes near a Pura. Water, the source of life cleanses their village, earthly representations of their gods, and sacred objects from their temples. This is of course under the close watch of none other than, Batara Baruna, the lord of the sea, and three high priests.
Ladies will carry Mapeeds which are gebogan or offerings containing cakes, fruit, flowers, and coconut decorations (on their heads) and men will carry Pratima shrines on their shoulders.
Followed by a long line of villagers dressed in kebaya, sarongs, and udengs. The gamelan orchestra will play repeated rhythms until greeted by ancestral spirits at the edge of the ocean. Priests pray and chant their mantras. The sprinkling of “tirtha”, (crossing place) bridges the material and spiritual purification of manah, then sipped to be understood as “purification of wak (speech)”, and then sprinkled over the body symbolizing “purification of kaya (attitude and behavior)”.
OGOH OGOH Festival March 24th 2020
The Ngrupuk parade takes place in every village throughout Bali. Crowds watch giant menacing-looking dolls twist, turn, and shake to sounds of gameland instruments. Locals and Tourists watch the island’s youths or Banjar bear their creations proudly above their heads. Each Ogoh Ogoh symbolizing duels between demons and villagers, and warding off the Bhuta-Kala until they have left the island. In the end, the Ogoh Ogoh’s will be burned as a symbol of purification to all.
Nyepi day March 25th 2020
Ogoh-Ogoh’s burn through the night until the rising of the sun. The silent island awakes. On this day, Amati Geni prohibits the use of light, including fire or electricity. He forbids any travel in the sky or on the land, televisions, and radios are to be left alone, and all noise should be at a minimum. Nobody should work besides the pecalang or village militia who patrol the island ensuring that all respect Amati Geni’s Rules. All is still and we refrain from making any mark, action, or karma. This is about self- reflection and ridding yourself of any pollutants or distractions. All beings should continue to control their actions (karma) and overcome their inner demons every year.
New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Global Viewpoint Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, NBC News, Fox News and various books and other publications.
If you like this article, perhaps you would like to read another article here: Public Holidays In Bali
