Nyepi Day has a strong philosophy to make sense of life. In addition, it turns out by seclusion, there are a number of significant savings.
Every religious holiday is usually celebrated with great fanfare, meeting family, storytelling, and others. Nyepi, which is celebrated by all Hindus, must obey the ‘Catur Brata Penyepian’.
The first rule is Amati Geni, which is not to light a fire, including cooking. That means, Hindus will also perform upawasa or fasting. Then Amati Karya, which means not working to sense faculties.
The third rule is Amati Lelungaan, which means to rest the body. Finally, namely Amati Lelanguan or not looking for entertainment.
So, when Nyepi, Hindus will relieve sensual desire which is believed to foster dynamic happiness so as to improve the quality of life. Then, for people who have special abilities, they will do tapa yoga brata samadhi during Nyepi.
World inspiration to reduce pollution
The absence of activity during Nyepi inspired the United Nations to inaugurate the World Silent Day (WSD) which is celebrated every March 21st. This date was chosen as a symbol of transition to new life, when the sun is at the vernal equinox point and will move from the equator to the north.
As the name implies, WSD invites the world community to contribute to the earth to reduce pollution, energy consumption, natural resources, and others in a day.
The idea of WSD emerged during the holding of the Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 13) in Bali. Through a number of visits to traditional villages, the idea finally came to lift Nyepi Day as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the world.
This was eventually offered to the international world, so that World Silent Day was born.
Nyepi celebrations in Bali
Besides being famous for its nature, Bali also offers cultural uniqueness, one of which is Nyepi. The Island of Gods people, who are predominantly Hindu, will confine themselves in their homes to follow ‘Catur Brata Penyepian’.
Not only local residents, all tourists who inhabit Bali are also not allowed to leave their hotel or residence for 24 hours, starting at 6:00 local time until 06:00 the next day.
Automatically, Bali will be silent for a day. After that, all Bali entrances will be closed during Nyepi celebrations, starting from the five sea ports in Bali to Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Bali will look like a dead island without occupants because it is pitch dark and there is no activity. However, Nyepi actually does not reduce the interest of tourists to visit Bali. In fact, this is a special attraction for Bali because maybe there are no other countries in the world to do it.
Local and international tourists can enjoy the silence and peace during the transition of the 1940s to 1941 in Bali.
The uniqueness of Nyepi Day in Bali
Besides being a tourist attraction, Nyepi in Bali also has another uniqueness. Balipost.com said, Bali could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 20,000 tons during Nyepi. That said, Bali has a chance a day to freshen up.
Then, there will be electricity savings, water, and other fuels up to 70 percent, or equivalent to Rp 4.5 billion. This means that Nyepi Day will save around 300 megawatts of electricity and hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel oil a day.
Beyond the economic side, Nyepi presents extraordinary calm. After a year of feeling busy, all the Balinese can refresh themselves in a day without the activity and noise of vehicles.
With the uniqueness of Nyepi Day above, are you interested to try it in Bali?