NGERUPUK & NYEPI B A L I INDONESIA

NGERUPUK & NYEPI

B A L I

INDONESIA

Bali sure is a part of Indonesian Archipelago of some 17 000 islands. However, it has its own culture, unique and not found anywhere else. The Balinese culture is mainly based on religious believes.

In fact, Balinese are constantly busy performing rituals and ceremonies and distributing offerings. However, Ngerupuk celebrations are huge. Ngerupuk is a big day and it falls just before Nyepi. Since Nyepi, the New Year, currently 1941 according to saka calendar, is a day of quiet the celebrations on Ngerupuk are loud and carry on into the night. 

They are much the same as New Year's Eve when everybody parties into the night and then sleeps it of on New Year's Day one could say. Well, not in Bali. These celebrations are based on strong religious believes that keeping quiet on Nyepi, the Day of Silence, will fool the evil spirits that the place is uninhabited and they find somewhere else to settle of a year.

OGOH OGOH play a big part during Ngerupuk. The monsters artfully made with everybody's help are carried around to scare off evil spirits. The aim is purification of natural environment of spiritual pollution created by humans.

The dress code for performing rituals is important both for men and women. Thus the mood during the festivities is celebratory and a real treat for visitors as long as one can keep quiet during Nyepi. 

HINDU FESTIVALS & CEREMONIES BALI INDONESIA

HINDU FESTIVALS & CEREMONIES

BALI

INDONESIA

Bali is a Hindu-Buddhist island in a predominantly Muslim Indonesia. Hindu Temples, sculptures and shrines are a definite landmark all around Bali.

Celebrations of Hindu festivals are constant and popular. Balinese worship the same Gods as the Hindus of India but their religion has strong influences of preexisting Bali culture. The rituals are being observed but again with a specific Bali way of life. There is a strong belief in spirits and many of the rituals are performed to scare away evil spirits. Offerings are being made to ensure favors from gods and good spirits at shrines and homes.

Ceremonies include Gamelan Orchestra, everybody dressed in traditional clothes, marches and makes lots of noise to drive away evil spirits.

Bali dances are unique and also a form of celebration performed often not just during festivals and ceremonies.

The Nyepi Festival coincides with Bali New Year and a trick to make evil spirits to believe that the island is uninhabited. Thus it is a day of quiet while everything closes. Visitors need to respect that custom and enjoy the noisy celebrations a day before Nyepi of chasing the old evil spirits away. It is a day of sleeping of the party and pre Nyepi celebrations.

The festivals are frequent. A Bali lifestyle. It is a guarantee that one can experience a festival during their stay in Bali, disregarding how short the stay is.