Bali New Year Holiday

2023 Bali New Year Holiday

Nyepi or Day of Silence is a new year celebration for Hindu people according to Saka calendar. The commemoration of Day of Silence has been going on since 78 AD. Day of Silence got its name from the word ‘silent’ with no activities. During this day, all daily activities such as working or traveling will need to stop, since Day of Silence needs to be celebrated in silence and filled with self-reflection. In Indonesia, the celebration of Day of Silence is significantly felt in Bali.

Bali province has about 4,3 million out of 4,6 million of the population believe in Hinduism. The number was taken based on the population census done by Indonesia Statistic Agency (BPS) in 2020. Hence, no wonder that Day of Silence is considered as a very special national day for Balinese.

Day of Silence in 2023 is expected fall on Wednesday, 22nd March. Since it might fall in the middle of the week, it might be difficult for you to use up this opportunity for an extended holiday, unless you take Friday for the day off. If it’s difficult for you to file a leave, at the very least, you can use this day to rest for one day.

Quiet street

During the commemoration of the Day of Silence, streets in Bali will be hushed, since there will be no vehicles around. There will only be pecalang - Balinese local security officers - to control road traffic. Besides cars and motorcycles, all activities in the airport, terminals, harbors, and highways are stopped during the celebration of the Day of Silence. However, the emergency vehicle such as an ambulance is allowed to go through without switching on their siren. Hospitals are also entitled to operate.

Four ‘Don'ts’ during Nyepi

The peak of Day of Silence celebration is commemorated by Hindu people by holding the catur brata penyepian which means four ‘don’ts’, they are: amati lelungan (do not travel), amati lelanguan (do not have fun), amati karya (do not work), and amati geni (do not light a fire). Those four prohibitions are applicable to not only Balinese but also for tourists in Bali.

Interesting cultural performances

Day of Silence celebration in Bali consists of a series of cultural performance before and after the D day. A couple of days before the D day, Balinese locals will make a giant ogoh-ogoh statue. Two days before the D day, Balinese people will do Melasti or a prayer in the sea, with ogoh-ogoh parade. A day after the actual Day of Silence, there will be omed-omedan tradition or mass kissing ceremony to throw away bad luck and strengthen the sense for compassion.

Energy and fuel saving

During the commemoration of Day of Silence, two power plants (electric steam and gas) are temporarily inactive. This resulted in savings of solar fuel of 500,000 liters or equivalent to IDR 3 billion. Besides that, this will be able to save electricity up to 60% in one day, which is equal to IDR 4 billion. On the other hand, emission and CO2 reduction can be up to 20,000 tonnes during the Day of Silence.

Those are a few interesting facts about Day of Silence. For people who do not celebrate the Day of Silence, there are some ways to spend the holiday. Moreover, if the Day of Silence falls on the day close to the weekend. If you are planning to spend this day on holiday, it’s better to prepare the holiday in advance to have a better picture of the budget and itinerary.

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