What's up Steemy people! Living in Asia continues to expose me to new and exciting cultural differences.
A few days ago I witnessed Nyepi (aka "Silent Day"). Here's a quick Wikipedia explaining what it is.
Nyepi is a Balinese "Day of Silence" that is commemorated every Isakawarsa (Saka new year) according to the Balinese calendar (in 2018, it falls on March 17). It is a Hindu celebration mainly celebrated in Bali, Indonesia. Nyepi, a public holiday in Indonesia, is a day of silence, fasting and meditation for the Balinese. The day following Nyepi is also celebrated as New Year's Day.
Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection, and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and, for some, no talking or eating at all.
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyepi
Yeah, you read that right. You aren't supposed to...
- work
- have fun
- travel
- talk
- eat
Worse yet...they turned off all of the internet for 24 hours. I felt like I was living in the dark ages of pre-internet.
Now, did I respect the culture and not do any of these things? Nope. I'm not going to be forced in to a day of reflection. I'll reflect when I want and when the government tells me to, well that's not the day.
That said, the parade was really cool and the "evil spirits" that the village creates were insanely awesome.
Check out some of these pictures and videos from the day before. These creatures, called Ogoh-ogoh's, are mostly evil spirits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogoh-ogoh
Check out these little guys!
This one was the best, I've got some video below. Definitely check it out.
BTW, I'm pretty sure they let the children carry and be in charge of these evil spirits to scare them in to believing that such evil spirits are real. Remember, ppl who live in fear of imaginary things can be more easily controlled.
What's even crazier is that after the festivities, they BURN all of these evil monsters in a ceremony. That's a lot of hard work for a one day festival.
Here's more information about both Nyepi and the Ogoh-ogoh's.
http://indosurflife.com/2012/03/balinese-silent-day-approaches-and-so-do-the-ogoh-ogoh-monsters/
http://www.bali-indonesia.com/information/nyepi-day.htm
Crazy, eh? The world is full of interesting cultures and traditions and even tho they turned off the internet in the middle of March Madness, I'm glad that I was able to experience it.
Til next time..
-Ashe