(PHOTO STORY) BALI, Indonesia — On Nyepi, the “Day of Silence,” which is the most special day of the year in the Balinese Saka Calendar, the island of Bali turns off all lights and sounds, stops all traffic, renounces all worldly activities, and meditates while silence and serenity reign over the entire island.

Due to its different nature from other cultures that celebrate the New Year with great fanfare, the pinnacle of the Balinese New Year is the day of total silence. “Nyepi” means "silent" in the local language.

Nyepi, which took place March 23 this year, is a special day fully dedicated to getting closer to God (Hyang Widi Wasa) through prayer and introspection to decide on values such as humanity, love, patience, kindness and others that must be kept forever.

It’s a unique celebration that will give you chills and a thrill at the same time. Demons and spirits are invoked, offerings of flowers locally known as “canang” are placed in the streets, and sacred purification ceremonies are held all over the island. This all aims to restore balance between Gods, demons, humans and nature.

Hindus begin their new year with religious rituals on the beaches and mountains where they offer prayers of silence, forgiveness and restoration of harmony between everything that lives and roams the island, visible and invisible.

There are many rituals and ceremonies that must be witnessed, such as the Melasti ritual, Bhuta Yajna, Lukat Geni or Pengrupukan, Nyepi, and Mebuug Buugan.

This Melasti ritual is intended for Sanghyang Widhi Wasa, which is held three to four days before Nyepi. Hindus carry out prayers during Melasti to obtain holy water from the sea. This ritual is performed in temples near the sea and along the coast, and it is interpreted as the purification of heirlooms.

This Bhuta Yajna ritual is held the day before Nyepi to get rid of negative elements and create a balance among God, man and nature. The Balinese Hindu community takes two months to make ogoh-ogoh.

The “ogoh-ogoh,” or giant dolls, which are small to large in size and resemble various figures in the Hindu religion, are marked to represent evil and made of bamboo and paper.

At sunset, the ogoh-ogoh parade will be paraded around the village, typically carried by strong adolescent boys — the whole ceremony has a strong youth focus — and accompanied by a mix of traditional Balinese kulkul, or bells, horns, gamelan and percussion. These are then burned later that night to symbolize purification.

Ahead of Nyepi, residents in Paksebali Traditional Village, Klungkung, Bali, carry out the tradition of fire fighting, or the Lukat Geni ritual. This “fire war” is a tradition that is routinely held by the Hindu community at night and has been carried out for hundreds of years.

The bare-chested Hindu youths will be divided into two groups to make it look like they are fighting, and the two sides will attack each other using burning coals.

Ekayana, one participant, said he was not afraid of burning his body. “We are not afraid because this fire is a smelter of sins within ourselves,” he said proudly. “The goal is for our lives to be more prosperous and to behave better.”

Traditionally, Nyepi is not only a day of silence but also a day of introspection, meditation and fasting. There is no way out, no lights to turn on at night; no entertainment is allowed; everything is closed, even the airport. The only people to be seen outside are the “pecalang,” traditional security guards who patrol the streets to ensure restrictions are followed.

After Nyepi and 24 hours of meditation is the Hindu Balinese New Year’s Day, with another ritual, like Mebuug-Buugan — a traditional folk game using mud that is always done by the Balinese after the Nyepi celebration. This tradition aims to ask for grace from Ida Sanghyang Widhi Wasa (God Almighty) so that humanity is given prosperity and safety.

In Balinese, “bug” means “dirty” or “mud.” The Mebuug-buugan tradition is a sacred tradition that is carried out the day after Nyepi by the people of Kedonganan Traditional Village, Kuta District, Badung Regency.

Life in Bali revolves around ceremonies. The three- to five-day period leading up to Nyepi is filled with places for meditation among the island’s volcanoes, lakes, cascades, mountains, beaches and houses themselves, where there is almost always a space dedicated to prayer.

The date of Nyepi changes every year, as it is set according to the lunar calendar and the time of the dark moon. Bali is the only place in the world that shuts down its airport and harbor for 24 hours. This is Indonesia, a land of many islands with a culture steeped in tradition, and events like Nyepi that should not be missed.

Garry Lotulung is an Indonesian freelance photojournalist based in Jakarta, where he reports visual stories in breaking news, politics, social issues and environmental crises. He studied photography at Gallery Foto Journalistic Antara and has worked with Reuters, KOMPAS, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Lotung received Pictures of the Year Asia 2022 for his photographic reportage of the Indonesia Battles Second Wave of COVID-19.