Nyepi and the Balinese New Year

The offerings for the New Year celebration were more elaborate then usual

 
As our time in Ubud comes to an end, I feel incredibly fortunate to close out our stay by celebrating the Balinese New Year known as Nyepi Day. During my initial research of the happenings in Bali during my visit I stumbled across the date for this year's Nyepi and realized we would be here for the unique celebration. The culture here is incredibly spiritual and community oriented, and the way they celebrate this holiday is unlike any other place in the world.

Typical New Year offering seen outside each Balinese home

Since our arrival here we have noticed many different sculptures being built around the neighborhoods and in the temples. Gigantic bamboo and paper mache structures being worked on tirelessly each day. It was fun to see these structures come to life and we wondered what they were for. One family we passed daily would invite us to come take a closer look periodically at their figures, you could see they were quite proud of their work and happy to share it with us. These statues evolved and became more and more detailed, with painted faces and additions such as fur, hair, claws and other features. It is clear this country has some incredible artistic talent.

Statues being constructed around our neighborhood

Our neighbors working on their creatures, we passed them daily on the way to the Yoga Barn and watched them come to life

A closer look

Finally Nyepi was upon us, and it all started to make sense. The way they celebrate the night before the new year is for the communities to come together with their respective mythical creature sculptures, called "ogoh-ogoh" and have them act out duels between them. Apparently these sculptures are all meant to represent certain spirits, good and bad, and the idea is to present the evil spirits and eradicate them. Elaborate plays are acted out in the streets meant to symbolize "chasing away" malevolent spirits from the community. It is incredible to watch the performances and the two we saw featured traditional dancers, a narrator and a band with drums and other traditional instruments. The ogoh-ogoh as all built on bamboo poles that form a grid like layout and each sculpture is carried by 15-20 people inside this grid. They all have to be coordinated and move together, sometimes running back and forth during the performance with these gigantic structures. It was crazy! I found this synopsis of the ritual online:

Bhuta Yajna Ritual is performed in order to vanquish the negative elements and create a balance with God, Mankind, and Nature. The ritual is also meant to appease Batara Kala by Pecaruan offering. Devout Hindu Balinese villages usually make ogoh-ogoh, demonic statues made of richly painted bamboo and paper mache symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. After the ogoh-ogoh have been paraded around the village, the Ngrupuk ritual takes place, which involves burning the ogoh-ogoh.

Nyepi Day 2017 in Bali Bali Day of Silence - 28th March 2017 39 Nyepi Day in Bali is a New Year celebration unlike anywhere else on the planet. Bali’s celebrates the Saka New Year as the Bali Day of Silence, an ultimately quietest day of the year, when all of the island's inhabitants abide by a set of local rules, which brings all routine activities to a complete halt. Roads all over Bali are void of any traffic and nobody steps outside of their home premises. Most Balinese and visitors regard it as a much-anticipated occasion. Some expats and those coming from neighbouring islands prefer escaping Bali for the day rather, due to restrictions that surround the observance. Some visitors check coinciding dates ahead before their Bali trip, avoiding it altogether. Anyhow, Nyepi is worth experiencing at least once in a lifetime, especially since the preceding and following days offer rare highlights to behold! Most Booked Hotels Rating The Kana, Kuta 4.4/ 5 Citadines Kuta Beach Bali 4.1/ 5 Horison Seminyak Bali 4.2/ 5 Alaya Resort Kuta 4.8/ 5 Kuta Paradiso Hotel 4.3/ 5 Grand Hyatt Bali 4.3/ 5 AYANA Resort and Spa Bali 4.7/ 5 Marriott's Autograph Collection, The Stones Hotel, Bali 4.7/ 5 Courtyard by Marriott Bali Nusa Dua Resort 4.4/ 5 RIMBA Jimbaran Bali By AYANA 4.7/ 5 Most Booked Tours Highlights Of Bali Full-Day Tour Bathe & Breakfast with the Elephants Whitewater Rafting & Elephant Safari Ride Whitewater Rafting Downhill Cultural Cycling Tour with Lunch Private Bali As You Please Tour Devdan Show: Treasure of the Archipelago at Bali Nusa Dua Theatre Fast-Track Waterbom Bali Admission Best of Bali Highlights Tour with Lunch Elephant Safari Park & Optional Elephant Ride A Different Kind of New Year Celebration The unique day of silence marks the turn of the Saka calendar of western Indian origin, one among the many calendars assimilated by Indonesia’s diverse cultures, and among two jointly used in Bali. The Saka is 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar, and follows a lunar sequence. Nyepi follows after a new moon. Village meeting halls known as ‘banjar’ and streets feature papier-mâché effigies called ogoh-ogoh, built throughout the weeks leading up to the Saka New Year. Youth groups design and build their mythical figures with intricately shaped and tied bamboo framework before many layers of artwork. These artistic creations are offshoots of the celebration since its dawning in the early 80s, which stayed on to become an inseparable element in the island-wide celebration that is Nyepi Eve.

Read more at: http://www.bali-indonesia.com/information/nyepi-day.htm?cid=ch:OTH:001

The day following Balinese New Years Eve is a nationwide day of silence. I found this synopsis online to give you an idea of what the day entails:
Nyepi is a Balinese "Day of Silence" that is commemorated every Isakawarsa (Saka new year) according to the Balinese calendar. It is a Hindu celebration mainly celebrated in Bali, Indonesia. Nyepi, a public holiday in Indonesia, is a day of silence, fasting and meditation for the Balinese. The day following Nyepi is also celebrated as New Year's Day. On this day, the youth of Bali practice the ceremony of Omed-omedan or 'The Kissing Ritual' to celebrate the new year.
Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection, and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and, for some, no talking or eating at all. The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali's usually bustling streets and roads are empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes. The only people to be seen outdoors are the Pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed.
Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents and tourists are not exempt from the restrictions. Although they are free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles responding to life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth.
On the day after Nyepi, known as Ngembak Geni, social activity picks up again quickly, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another, and to perform certain religious rituals together.

It was quite incredible to be able to be here to experience special day, nowhere else in the world has a day where everything shuts down, even the airport. We were fortunate to have our lovely villa in the jungle to spend this day of reflection, and I decided to spend the daylight hours of the holiday practicing my own silence by not speaking and also refraining from using technology. I meditated, journaled, painted, rested and reflected. I listened to the sounds of nature un-obscured by any noise from cars, planes and people. We cooked a family meal and enjoyed dinner by candle light, and later checked out the stars and saw some Balinese fire bugs. It was pretty special and incredibly relaxing, and what a perfect way to close out our time in Ubud!

Making preparations

Ogoh-ogoh on its bamboo stand, the people go in each empty square to lift and move the sculpture

The day of the ritual - getting ready

This gal was one of our favorites - loved the headdress

The temple entry lit up for the festivities

Kai (Jess's friend from Esalen), me and Jess enjoying the festivities

The parade begins!

Spirits confronting each other in the streets

The drama unfolding...

The bands were amazing and added quite the effect to the evening

More spirit fights

After the show in the streets of downtown, we stumbled on another even more elaborate celebration in the streets of our neighborhood

Neighborhood ogoh-ogoh

This one was like a giant puppet

Giant turtle-dragon ogoh-ogoh, this one was my favorite (although hard to tell the incredible detail from this photo)!

Ogoh-ogoh on its stand, ready for a fight!

Incredible detail

Green witch in action

The whole village gets involved in the festivities

Traditional face painting and costumes were beautiful

Getting ready to burn

Ogoh-ogoh being burned at the end of the night

The burn is a cleanse for the new year

Amazing way to close out our time in Ubud!

Bali Spirit

When I made the decision to come to Bali I started to research events and other happenings that would be going on during my time there. While perusing the web I stumbled upon something called the Bali Spirit Festival, which would be taking place at the end of March. I started reading about the festival, and was excited to learn that it was a yoga-centric festival with a mission that greatly resonated with me. Here is what the website has to say about the festival:

Our mission
The goal of the BaliSpirit Festival is to awaken and nourish each individual’s potential for positive change within, leading to positive change in our homes, in our communities, and around the world. Through beneficial and inspirational traditions of Yoga, Dance, and Music, the BaliSpirit Festival illustrates the Balinese Hindu concept of Tri Hita Karana: living in harmony with our spiritual, social, and natural environments. Committed, particularly, to nourishing our own home in Bali, the founders of the BaliSpirit Festival pledge to provide financial, logistical, and organizational support to local charities, with a special emphasis on children’s programs, multicultural education and performance, healthcare, HIV& AIDS awareness, and environmental conservation in Bali and greater Indonesia.

Our Vision
The BaliSpirit Festival was founded as a premier international and holistic wellness and world music destination event that contributes positively to the ecological health, cultural vibrancy, and overall vitality of Bali and greater Indonesia.

Good vibes at the Spirit Fest

I was immediately thrilled that such an event was going to be happening while I was in Ubud, but once I saw the ticket prices my heart sunk. While there were multiple tiers for ticket options, all of them were at least a few hundred dollars plus, with the full festival including music ticket at a pricey $650 for the week. Being currently between jobs I could not justify spending that kind of money no matter how amazing the event would be, as that could potentially cover my food costs for 1-2 months in this part of the world. Then I noticed a portion of the website calling for volunteers, and they were still accepting applications. In exchange for a five hour shift each day at the festival they grant you full access to the rest of the event! They charge a $50 impact fee to volunteer, but also feed you lunch each day you work and give you festival tickets. I love volunteering (just never seem to have the time when I am working full time) and so I immediately filled out the application online. I knew it would be a great way to meet people and be a part of this amazing event, not to mention offering me valuable and applicable experience within the events industry.

Map of the festival grounds

The application process was pretty extensive, asking many questions about your character and past experience as well as what areas of the festival you were interested in being a volunteer and your preferred shift timing. They also asked if you were willing to volunteer pre-event, and since I would be in Ubud for the month before the event started I said I would definitely be interested. I also mentioned in my personal statement that I was an event planner by nature and had excellent computer/admin skills and I felt they would gain the most from me in an office role versus something like a greeter or person who checks wrist bands. I was thrilled to get an email from the main volunteer coordinator, Colin, about a week and a half before the event looking for people to fill some important office roles. One of the positions was to be his assistant, and the description of that role seemed like a great fit for me so I responded letting him know I was interested. He asked me to call him the next day, and by that afternoon I was in the Bali Spirit Festival Office meeting the behind the scenes team.

The email calling for office assistants - I jumped at the opportunity!

Rocking my volunteer t-shirt

Back of the t-shirt showing I was on the "spirit team"

I spent the week before the event working in the office for a few hours each day alongside Colin answering volunteer emails, working with the member database, and finally helping assign volunteers a role in the festival based on their application, experience and preferences. I have done some volunteer management in the past with AmeriCorps so it was a comfortable role for me and I really enjoyed it. On orientation day I was there with the admin team bright and early at 6:30am to help check in all 450+ volunteers from all over the globe, it was amazing to see how many different countries and ages were represented. The best part about my position was that because I was on the pre-event team, once the festival started I did not have a specific role. I was free to enjoy the festival for the entire week without having to work a daily shift so I got to go to all the classes and workshops I wanted.

Entry to the festival

The festival was located on the grounds of the Bhanuswari Resort and the scenery was beautiful, multiple pavilions had been constructed amidst the rice paddies and tropical forest with many areas connected by bamboo bridges. The overall vibe was quite mellow, a gathering of yogis who are all about love and acceptance. There was vegan/organic food options, fresh juices and coconuts and artisans selling handmade jewelry, yoga clothes and other crafts. Unlike many festivals I have been to there was no alcohol, and something I have noticed in Ubud in general is there are many restaurants that do not have any booze on the menu. This group is more a "high on life" type of crowd, which is really refreshing. Everyone is looking to improve their physical and mental health and alcohol just does not fit into that mold. There is not really much of a nightlife here, and since being here I have adopted that lifestyle and it feels great. I am not a big drinker really, but since being here alcohol has become pretty non-existent in daily life. The night time music festival did have a bar set up but not many people were drinking, and I didn't notice any visible intoxicated people which for a concert back home that is unheard of. Everyone just wanted to enjoy the music.

Lots of places to relax around the festival grounds

Another area for relaxing - these umbrellas were made of woven palm leaves

One of the many pavilions where yoga classes and workshops were held

While at the festival I attended some yoga classes, some mindfulness workshops and a breath work session which was interesting. I have loved being exposed to so many different things since being here, some I have liked and some I probably won't revisit but always good to try new things and expand your mind a bit. One new practice I tried out (and fell in love with) was ecstatic dance, described on one website as: A global network of freeform dance gatherings that cultivate conscious community and enhance our experience of freedom, peace, unity, and joy! All dances are held in a welcoming sacred-space, and are non-verbal, barefoot and substance-free. 
I have always loved dancing, however often when you go out to a club or some other place to dance there is always a certain amount of pressure felt around social norms, looking attractive to the opposite sex, moving the "right" way. Usually a lot of alcohol is involved in these types of atmospheres as well, which can bring a whole other element into the situation. With ecstatic dance everyone is just doing their own thing, moving however they want, not concerned with trying to dance with other people, and just letting go. It is a completely liberating environment and I definitely plan to seek out opportunities to participate in more ecstatic dance events.

Fun setting for festival yoga classes, although I will admit I preferred my classes at the Yoga Barn as I found it easier to focus in that space

Coco love stage on the festival grounds - a nice place to relax and listen to some mellow music

All over the festival there were sculptures made out of natural materials, this dragon was particularly cool looking

Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga demos

Paddle boarding and yoga?! Together?! Two of my favorite things, obviously I had to give it a try!

More sculptures around the festival, this one is a yogi made out of dried palm leaves

More natural sculptures in the lush jungle setting of the festival

At the end of the week there was a three night music festival portion located at the Arma Resort in central Ubud. The overarching genre of the festival was world music, with a variety of artists that was impressive and most of them I had never heard of but there were a few I was really looking forward to. The common thread was every group had a strong message to communicate about social justice or the environment and they all looked really happy to be performing at the festival. I saw everything from a traditional Senegalese band using an instrument called the Chora, a group from Rajasthan with drummers and a traditional dancer (Chugge Khan & Rajasthan Josh), a Hawaiian couple singing about the North Dakota oil and Indonesian water crisis (Tubby Love and Amber Lily), a band mixing rap and Indian flavors (Desi Sub Culture, really enjoyed them) and my favorite of the group Xavier Rudd a "roots" musician from Australia who I have recently started listening to. Each night started off pretty mellow and escalated as the night went on, with each group having a more up beat tempo and by the end of the night the finale was usually pretty high energy with lots of dancing. After the groups a DJ would come out and close out the night. It was a great few nights of music and dancing!

Chugge Khan and Rajasthan Josh - amazing live drumming

Collena Shakti joining the show

Tubby Love and Amber Lily

Xavier Rudd on the Didgeridoo

Xavier Rudd closing out the festival - amazing performance

Overall I had a great experience being a part of this amazing festival and feel lucky to have been in Ubud during this time. I learned a lot about festival production, attended some great classes, experienced some amazing musicians and met some cool people along the way. Namaste!