DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Airports closed for 24 hours, the internet was turned off and streets were empty as the predominantly Hindu island of Bali in Muslim-majority Indonesia marked its New Year with an annual Day of Silence as part of six days of extensive rituals.
The Day of Silence, locally known as Nyepi, is observed each year on the day after the new moon in March starting at 6 a.m. The island’s world-famous beaches and all of its public spaces are devoid of people, except for special patrols to ensure that silence is observed.
Phone companies switched off the mobile internet on the idyllic “island of the gods,” which is home to more than 4 million people, and Balinese stayed indoors, covering their windows and keeping lights off, for the sacred day of reflection, which fell on Monday this year.
During Nyepi, tourists on the island are asked to stay inside their hotels, and television and radio broadcasts are halted. In past years, foreign and domestic tourists have been arrested for wandering around Kuta, a popular beach, during the Day of Silence.
Wayan Widiana, 64, a Balinese traditional guard called “pecalang,” patrols a toll road on Nyepi, or Day of Silence, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
The night before Nyepi is celebrated with noisy “ogoh-ogoh” processions featuring giant scary figures that symbolize evil spirits and are burned in a ritualistic purification. The practice has evolved over the years. It began with mythological evil spirits but today includes symbolic representations of evil in the modern world. The burning of the figures signifies the victory of good over evil.
Also on a day leading up to New Year, some Balinese Hindu faithful enter into a trance and pierce themselves with metal swords while chanting prayers. Others beat one another with burning coconut leaves, sending sparks and embers flying in all directions, in a ritual known as Lukat Gni.
On the same day, white-clad Hindus carry palanquins with idols and symbols of deities as they walk on the beach. As the sun rises, they perform rituals, dip their feet in the Indian Ocean and leave offerings on the beach. This day, known as Melasti, is a day of symbolic cleansing.
A Hindu devout hits another with burning coconut leaves, sending sparks and embers flying in all directions, in a ritual known as Lukat Gni, as part of Balinese New Year celebrations, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese Hindus participate in a purification ceremony during sunrise on Melasti at Padanggala beach in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese Hindus wait with offerings to participate in a purification ceremony on Melasti at Padanggala beach in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese traditional guards called “pecalang” patrol the airport on Nyepi, or Day of Silence, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese traditional guards called “pecalang” patrol keep guard to enforce restrictions on Nyepi, or Day of Silence, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
A signboard on a toll road reads “Temporarily closed for Nyepi,” in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese Hindus participate in a purification ceremony on Melasti at Petitenget beach in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Boys carry an effigy during Ogoh-ogoh parade, as part of the Balinese Hindu New Year celebrations, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Residents watch an Ogoh-ogoh parade in Klungkung village, Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
People carry an effigy during Ogoh-ogoh parade, as part of the Balinese New Year celebrations, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Devout Balinese Hindus enter into a trance and pierce themselves with metal swords while chanting prayers, on Melasti at Padanggala beach in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese Hindus participate in a purification ceremony on Melasti at Petitenget beach in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
A Devout Balinese Hindu enters into a trance and pierces himself with metal swords while chanting prayers, on Melasti at Petitenget beach in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
A Balinese traditional guard called “pecalang” stands outside a mosque on Nyepi, or Day of Silence, which also coincided with the first day of ramadan in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
A traditional Balinese guard, known as Pecalang, helps an elderly Muslim man leave a mosque with minimal light just to assist worshippers home on Nyepi, the day of silence, which also coincided with the first day of Ramadan in Tuban village, Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese women carry bamboo torches as they participate in an Ogoh-ogoh parade as part of Balinese Hindu New Year celebrations, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
A Hindu devout hits another with burning coconut leaves, sending sparks and embers flying in all directions, in a ritual known as Lukat Gni, as part of Balinese Hindu New Year celebrations, in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese traditional guards called “pecalang”participate in a purification ceremony on Melasti at Padanggala beach in Bali, Indonesia. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
Balinese girls rub mud from a mangrove forest on each other during a mud bath purification ritual as part of Balinese Hindu New Year celebrations at Kedonganan village in Bali, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
People of Kedonganan village leave a mangrove forest after their mud bath purification ritual as part of Balinese Hindu New Year celebrations in Bali, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
People of Kedonganan village participate in a mud bath purification ritual in a mangrove forest as part of Balinese Hindu New Year celebrations in Bali, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
A man helps a child clean off mud from a mangrove forest after a mud bath purification ritual, in the Indian Ocean in Bali, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)
