Bali - one of the world's top travel destinations - is clothed in silence today, as Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, ushers in the Saka year of 1929.
Nyepi is the day of silence, fasting and meditation. On this day the island's 3.2 million Hindus ponder on their lives and abstain from using fire, doing any overt physical activity, travelling or engaging in entertainment, which translates into staying home without cooking or using electricity.
Restaurants, shops and offices are closed and the airport is shut to all but transit flights. Only emergency services are allowed to operate. No motorcycles or cars take to the roads where sarong-clad traditional task forces, known as pecalang, ensure that the holiday is respected by everyone. Bali is immersed in stillness, barring the dogs that playfully bark and chase each other.
Hindu priest Ida Pedanda Tianyar Sebali, 65, says that this state of silence, solitude, inner peace and emptiness, helps bring about the necessary balance needed for reflection and personal redirection.
'Silence is God. In silence we can meet God. In silence we can be introspective, think about what we have done and reflect on why we are living in this world as humans,' he said.
Dewi Parama Utami, 27, celebrates the day as a family occasion. 'It is good to be all together. And the silence is soothing; for once, we hear roosters instead of the motorbikes driving past,' she said.
