For subscribers
What it is like to experience Nyepi, Bali’s day of silence
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A dance performance held the day before Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence meant for meditation, self-reflection and cleansing the island of evil spirits.
PHOTO: JOSH EDWARDS
Leyla Rose
BALI – Bali is on fire. Terrifying demon statues called ogoh-ogoh – some as tall as 8m – are being paraded across the island in an event called Pengerupukan. Firecrackers pop and go off, while crowds cheer over the cacophony of clashing cymbals and booming gongs of gamelan orchestras.
Local youth carry the ogoh-ogoh down the streets, spinning them at intersections, which is believed to disorientate evil spirits. Finally, the ogoh-ogoh are set aflame – a symbol of purification and the triumph of light over darkness.
