March 23rd 2012
Nyepi is the Balinese New Year.
Bali is an island in the country of Indonesia, made up of a collection of islands. 95% of Indonesia is Muslim, but Bali is the exception with 98% of the Balinese people practicing Hinduism. It is a special heart-chakra-green island anchored in the sea. A center for art and spirit not soon forgotten by those who have visited.
The story of Nyepi is a tale of tradition and age old practices of expressing the inner through experiences on the outer.
The preparation for Nyepi begins weeks before the amavasya (moonless night) celebration as the youth of each village (Bali is comprised of many villages making up towns, for instance Ubud is a collection of 14 villages) begin to create larger-than-life statues (Ooga Ooga’s) of their demons and desires.
On the eve of Nyepi each group of children and teenagers dress to embody the desires of their demon and parade through the town, dancing and singing and mock fighting other demons as they make their way to the Monkey Forest for the burning of the demons.
Dek, a local, owner of Yoga Barn and community organizer, described the process of building and burning as a journey from identifying and understanding the forces that pull us through life, to mastering them and eventually transforming them. The fire acts as the transformative force, and Nyepi, the island-wide day of fasting and silence that follows, is the emptied glass to be filled with a new way of being with these once-called demon forces. Dek doesn’t believe that the demon ever leaves us, rather that making our way to right-relationship with them is a big piece of our life’s work.
As westerns in the Nyepi celebrations we were swept up in the excitement of the Ooga Ooga’s as they came down the road in a fury of theatrics and surrounded by children carrying torches. I heard one small child on the shoulders of his father screaming, “Why do the kids have fire torches?!! Don’t they know that’s DANGEROUS?!” I though it was a colorfully accurate example of two cultures colliding.
What I found so wild is that there is no leaving your home or compound during the entire 24 hour period of Nyepi. The airport is even closed (!) and if you are found on the streets you’ll be escorted back home by the police.
We decided with our compound mates, Reezy from California and Sheena and Phil from Boston, that we would observe a four hour silence from 8-12 to do our meditations and reflect. Afterward, we feasted for about eight hours!! We had lunch that spilled into dinner and eventually dessert (mangosteen and dark chocolate). We had the most uplifting and enlightening conversations, that transcended age and experience. We made connections that we wouldn’t have made time for or fit into our busy holiday schedules. And it was honestly the most fullfilling day and evening both Kyle and I have had on this beauty-fill trip.
Shout outs to our compund mates, memories made, and the beginning of friendships. And baskets full of blessings to the gorgeous and enchanting people of Bali, thank you for your perfect day of silence and all the gifts and teachings that were allowed the space to settle in.
