Question:
What Should I Prepare Before Nyepi Day?
Answer:
This year Balinese will celebrate Nyepi Day on March 22nd. Nyepi Day or also called Silent Day is a Hindu celebration. It’s the mark of a New Year in the Balinese calendar. The whole island will shut down for 24 hours. The lights will be off, transportation including plane routes will be stopped, and this means no one could do any activities outside their home and need to remain silent in their home, hotels, villas, or any other places.
This rule must be abiding by everyone, locals, and tourists. If you’re new in Bali, you probably find it a little bit unusual. But the truth is, it’s one of the most blissful and magical days that you can experience when you’re in Bali. You’ll get a chance to relax, and rejuvenate for a whole day.
What can I do during Nyepi?
While the Balinese do meditation and prayer during Nyepi at their home, you can do almost nothing but RESTING AND RELAXING!
We recommend you check yourself in at the hotel. Luxury hotels usually have special packages and activities which you can do during Nyepi inside their properties. The light will also be left on inside the hotel, and it will be dimmed during the night. All you have to do is only to remain the curtain closed.
The hotels usually provide meal packages during your stay. If they don’t then you need to stock up yourself a sustained amount of food before your stay. The same thing also applies if you’re planning to stay in a private villa. You also need to remember that you have to cook by yourself, so it’s a great chance to sharpen your cooking skills, right?
Party, even though in your private party, is not allowed during Nyepi Day. Pecalang will patrol around the area, and if you get caught wandering outside, turning the light on, or being noisy inside your home, you need to be ready to get punishment by them. People who don’t respect the restriction will be punished with chores, like cleaning the temple or simply staying in the banjar base with pecalang until the end of the event.
The other thing you can do, and usually done especially by partygoers, get outside of the island. People usually go to Gili Islands to spend the day during Nyepi. There you can do anything almost like usual.
So, what’s your preference to spend Nyepi Day this year?
Staying at hotels?
Or going outside the island?