March 31, the chirping birds and tick of the clock are the only sounds I am hearing when I opened my eyes. Nyepi is a day set aside for self reflection, and as such, anything that might intervene with that purpose is restricted. Hence, it is a public holiday so strictly no work, no pleasure or any form of entertaining is allowed. No one gets out from their houses. Even the tourists are strictly not allowed to get out from their hotels. The bustling streets and roads are empty.
My kind Filpino host family, the Astilleros who lived in Bali for 4 years already are extremely observing this tradition as well. They didn't turn on the television, radio and light too. We talked to each other in a whispering manner. Andy, who is 3 years old is always prompted by his dada and mama to extremely lower his voice everytime he talks. To ensure that their neighbors and the pecalang, the Bali's security men will not hear him, he is left to act with his miniatures in his brother's room because his small voice will not be heard outdoors. Since lights are not allowed, his father demands to ascertain that no form of illumination from the room where Andy playing is reflected outside the home too. So, he covered the glass window with newspapers aside from its thick curtain.
Prior to the Nyepi celebration, the Astilleros brought me to Sanur's main street to watch the Ngrupuk parade. Along with the numerous numbers of foreigners and locals, we patiently and eagerly waited for the parade of ogoh-ogoh, the statues built having the forms of mythological beings, mostly demons.
While awaiting for the parade, beautiful and sweet 8-year old Tara happily tells me the activities she and her brother Andy are doing in school to follow the ogoh-ogoh rituals. I am truly amazed how depth is their understaanding with the tradition in their young years.
As written in wikipedia, the main purpose of the making of Ogoh-ogoh is to purify the natural environment of any spiritual pollutants emitted from the activities of living beings (especially humans). The forms of Ogoh-ogoh represent the Bhuta-Kala (Bhuta: eternal energy, Kala: eternal time), according to Hindu teachings. The imperceptible potentials of nature cannot be thoroughly explored by anyone. Philosophically, civilized men are required to manage the natural resources without damaging the environment itself. Aside from being the symbol of Bhuta-Kala, Ogoh-ogoh is considered a symbol of modes of nature that form the malicious characters of living beings. Ogoh-ogoh are usually made by the group of artists found in villages around Bali. After being paraded on a convoy around the town, finally it is burnt to ashes in a cemetery as a symbol of self-purification.
An Ogoh-ogoh is normally standing on a pad built of timber planks and bamboos. The pad is designed to sustain the Ogoh-ogoh while it is being lifted and carried around the village or the town square. There are normally eight or more men carrying the Ogoh-ogoh on their shoulders. This procession is accompanied by orchestral music performed by the youth. The use of flares is also a main part of the parade.
During the procession, the Ogoh-ogoh is rotated counter-clockwise three times. This act is done at every T-junction and crossroad of the village. Rotating the effigies during the cremational parade and the eve of Nyepi represents the contact of the bodies with the spirits. It is intended to bewilder the evil spirits so that they go away and cease harming human beings.
I likewise take advantage of the Nyepi celebration to do self- rumination. Accordingly, it progressed to my day productive because I made few writings. I really enjoyed learning and experiencing Bali's Nyepi with the warm hospitality of the Astilleros. The day of silence in Bali is really a day to remember.