Yesterday was March 22, a holy day for the Balinese people. They call this day ‘Nyepi Holy Day’, dedicated to total silence. The day before, people go the beach to purify themselves with sea water.
The Balinese people spend Nyepi Day praying, meditating, and introspecting. Any activity is forbidden, even going to the street for a walk. Tourists must comply with this rule. They cannot leave their hotels or accommodations.
Nyepi Day starts at six am, on March 22 and ends at six am on March 23. During this time, it is forbidden to do any activity: no traveling, no cooking, no swimming, no surfing on the Internet, no watching television, and so on. No cars, taxis, or public transportation on the streets. Even Bali International Airport is closed!
What did I do on Nyepi Day? I decided to conform to the religiosity of the people of Bali. Therefore, I stayed in my room all day, meditating and introspecting. Today, I had a feeling of being reborn.
How about the powerful rulers of the world have a Nyepi Day too? Who knows, maybe something good would come of it!
Ettore Grillo, author of these books:
– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)
– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)
– The Vibrations of Words (English version)
– Travels of the Mind (English version)
– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)
– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)
Ettore Grillo's Blog and Books 
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This was a fascinating article about Nyepi Holy Day and the strict regulations that the Balinese people adhere to. It’s amazing to think about how willingly they embrace such silence and reflection. I’m curious, how do the Balinese people feel about tourists during this time? Are they able to appreciate the quiet and reflective nature of the day as well? Thanks for sharing your experience!
Jessica Dunne
http://befitandhealthy.net/
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Thanks for sharing.
Even for me non-Balinese Hindu Indonesian, the silence day always fascinating in some ways.
But there are things that I think not good in celebrating the silence day:
1. The internet connection was on this year and that wasn’t, what I expected, because I planned to have a silence day as well though I’m not Hindu. But for one day away from the workload, for 1 day in a year relaxing, and have completely me-time, was a dream this year. The government turned on the internet connection all day long.
2. Cooking is allowed for those, who aren’t Balinese Hindu, which doing the silence day at home.
3. Sadly, there are still a lot of foreigners, especially Russian, who didn’t obey the rules and get fined or punishment, including deported.
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