When Silence Speaks In Bali

March 04, 2010 - Mobs of children seeking cement bags, wood scraps, bamboo strips and rupiah donations marks the build up to Bali's Day of Silence. Ranging in age, the kids travel their neighborhoods, accounting book in hand, recording every donations and hunting out the materials and money needed to build the monsters called ogoh ogoh that will chase evil out of their villages ahead of the Hindu year's end on March 16, known as Nyepi. Saka, the Hindu New Year, begins on March 17, 1932, which is 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar.

This is the one day of the year when Bali shuts down. Its airports and harbors close, businesses large and small turn off their lights and send their staff home, hospitals suspend operations except for emergencies and families huddle together as the long dark night of Nyepi progresses to the dawn of a new year, also a rebirth, according to Professor Ngurah Nala of Indonesia's University of Hinduism in Bali.

"Nyepi is the end of the year and after that we are re-born into the New Year. Before we are born, we are in our mother's womb. There is no light, no sound. That is Nyepi," says Nala of the 24-hour period when no fires are lit, many people fast and silence is absolute.

This silence, the period of being in the "darkened womb", is a time of reflection on the past year, explains Nala. "As Hindus, we hope this introspection can bring greater harmony to society."

For 35-year-old mother and insurance agent, Made Cahyani, Nyepi is a time of personal growth and a metaphysical spring-cleaning. "We clean our house to welcome the New Year, that is, spiritual cleaning, by placing offerings around the house.

Surprisingly this positive behavior extends to foreigners traveling to Bali or staying on the island during the Day of Silence.

Ngurah Rai Airport general manager, Heru Legowo says travelers respect Bali's adherence to its religious duties and take the airport closure in their stride. "It is amazing - I have never heard of a complaint about the airport closure for Nyepi. Bali is the only airport in the world that closes for a Day of Silence. Travelers understand, appreciate and respect the religion.", says Legowo.

Legowo's experience is echoed by general manager of Sentosa private villas and spa, Wayan Supandi, who says many guests plan to be in Bali for the Nyepi period and they, like the Balinese, take time out for gentle self-discovery.

"Most people find Nyepi really interesting and want to understand this. We find guests are fascinated, asking staff about Nyepi and what it means; they want to be engaged with this. Where Nyepi is good for the society it is also very good for the environment and I definitely agree with the idea of having an international day of silence for the environment," says Suprandi.

While the idea of an international day of silence as a gift to the earth was mooted by Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik during the 2007 Climate Change conference in Bali, the costs and logistics of such an event had big business and foreign governments running for cover.

According to Legowo, the logistics of shutting down airports and harbors are intense. Ngurah Rai Airport advises travel agents and airlines worldwide three months ahead of Nyepi of its closure; airlines re-ticket passengers booked over the 24-hour blackout and the harbors in Gilimanuk and Padang Bai have backlogs of hundreds of trucks stopped in their tracks by the passing of the old year.

"We put Nyepi out to every airport around the world through NOTAM (Notice to Airmen). This notice was sent out three months prior to March 16 so everyone in the aviation industry, from pilots to travel agencies, knows that on March 16 there are no flights in Bali for the day. Normally there are 200 planes landing and taking off at Ngurah Rai airport so you can imagine what that means when there are no planes in Bali," says Legowo.

Despite the airport closure, airport traffic controllers, electricians and other staff are on standby. "In case of emergency if a plane is forced to land in Bali we are ready, everyone is in position," says Legowo.

When asked how much it costs to shut down an international airport for 24 hours, Legowo answers graciously; "I don't think it's appropriate to discuss the cost of Nyepi [to the airport] when discussing religion,"

Closures to the Gilimanuk and Padang Bai harbors over Nyepi lead to some backlog of trucks and buses; on reopening these are rapidly cleared, according to Gilimanuk harbormaster, Dewa Kari, who explains Gilimanuk alone has a daily truck throughput of around 200.

"The harbor will be closed from 6 a.m. on March 16 to 6 a.m. March 17. Clearly closing the harbor for the day is expensive, however it is important to pay respect to the Hindu Day of Silence," says Dewa Kari.

On the spiritual level, the year's backlog of demons will also be cleared on the night before Nyepi. The ogoh ogoh monsters will hunt out evil from every crack and crevice and the Balinese New Year will be born afresh.