NYEPI day of silence

If not, you may need to reconsider your travel plans to Bali. Wha-a-at?! Read on and we'll explain everything.

In 2018, March 17 marked Nyepi, one of the most important days in the Balinese calendar. Over that 24-hour period, the entire island of Bali came to a halt to participate in the annual island-wide purification ceremony, which follows an age-old tradition where the island’s inhabitants go into silence during a ritual called the ‘Four Nyepi Prohibitions’.

Basically it means no fires or lighting (lights must be kept low), no working, restricted travelling, and no entertainment, alcohol consumption and eating.

The rules are slightly more relaxed for tourists; however, most visitors acknowledge and respect the harmony that comes when an entire island is steeped in silence and enveloped in a dreamlike darkness.

Guests staying at resorts such as AYANA Resort and Spa luckily receive the best of both worlds. While lighting, power and noise is kept to a minimum, the resort can open many of their 19 restaurants and bars, pools, and spa. Some visitors choose to book during Nyepi for a one-of-a-kind cultural experience.

After all, spending 24-hours without the hurry and bustle of everyday life brings tranquillity, and you may well feel rejuvenated to have experienced it.

But it's not all silence. On Nyepi Eve guests are invited to embark on a cultural journey. Dressed in traditionally themed costumes, guests can participate in the resort’s Ogoh Ogoh Festival, parading giant paper mâché monsters around the resort, followed by a buffet feast.

The day after Nyepi, Ngembak Geni, is when transport and business resume. Families gather for more rituals and life returns to normal.

Watch AYANA’s 2017 Nyepi stars at night time-lapse here.

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