SANUR, BALI, INDONESIA, April 1, 2006: Nyepi, a day of silence marking the first day of the Saka calendar, is the only nationally observed Balanese holiday, perhaps for the practical reason of being one of the few that only fall once a year, or the fact that a 30-hour curfew is imposed on the island from midnight until dawn the day after. I continue to find out that there is much more to the day, both in its preparation and in its continuation. Many a columnist from Bali to New York has reveled at the concept of Nyepi, remarking on the island’s peaceful calm when the Balanese observe catur brata penyepian — the four abstentions of Nyepi: food, travel, work and fire. To me, “fire” refers not just to cooking and illumination, but to technology in general. There is something reassuring about knowing that for one day, I am encouraged to refrain from turning on my mobile phone and my laptop, two companions that I invited into my circle as guests for ease and comfort but have now become masters, dictating how I spend my time.
Those discussing Balanese religious philosophy often view Nyepi as the most important of the island’s religious days: a day of self-introspection, in keeping with this island’s cultural tendency to search within for the reasons of the world’s ills. While I enjoy my day of silence, the most beautiful day in Bali for me occurs three days prior, during Melis, when villagers gather at their temples in the dark early hours for the honor of carrying effigies of their Deities and temple artifacts to the sea or lakes in a dawn procession of white. It is a large family affair, and most of the village makes an effort to turn up in their best. At the sea, the temple artifacts are ritually bathed and prayers and offerings are given to Ratu Baruna. It is a prayer to the sacred purifying powers of water, for all life came from the sea; a confirmation of why Balanese-Hinduism is often called “the religion of water.”
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