BALI
INDONESIA MARCH 25:
Today
Bali is like a ghost town, not a soul can be seen anywhere. There is not
one car on the road, not a soul on the beach, absolutely everything is
closed including the airport. Since midnight Saturday, until dawn Monday
morning everyone must stay indoors as the Balinese celebrate Nyepi, the
Hindu New Year of 1929.
WHERE IS
EVERYONE?
The
shops had their shutters down, the streets were deserted, the traffic lights
were turned off, even the dogs that usually loiter on the roads were missing.
Ball and its busy capital of Denpasar, its tourist resorts and villages,
all seem to be at a standstill like some unknown blight had swept over
this island of the Gods and obliterated almost all human and animal life
from the face of the Earth. The paddy fields, green and heavy with grain,
were devoid of the usual buffaloes and women at work. No purring of cars
and roar of motorcycles disturbed the stillness of the sun-drenched roads
and countryside." It was is stillness that is the essence of Nyepi, the
new year day of the Balinese Caka calendar. The Caka of Saka calendar is
lunar and there are 12 lunar months, each ending on the day of the new
moon. The first 10 months have names derived from Sanskrit numbers, while
the last two months are based upon a different system.
THE CAKA
YEAR
begins on the day after the new moon that ends the ninth month - almost
always in March. Thefirst day of the tenth month is New Year's day, called
Nyepi. The day before Nyepi, that of the new moon of the ninth month, is
the day for exorcism, while Nyepl is a day of silence, for meditation and
prayer. The purpose is that according to the Hindu Bali religion, the New
Year should begin with nothingness as it is believed that all existence
originated from nothing. It is the time for mediation, for tapabrata (strict
self control). During Nvepi four rules are practiced: no fire or light,
no work, no movement and
NO DESIRE
Pre-Nyepi
Ceremonies are held three days prior to Nyepi. Procession of different
Banjars wind their way to the sea of holy springs for the symbolic cleansing
of the elaborately carved and gilded statued pertimas from the temple altars
which are the abode of deities. Accompanied by music from a seat of gongs,
the procession is led by boys carrying wooden staves, followed by young
girls and women in traditional dress, with offerings of different sizes
balanced on their heads, followed by the sacred objects and the priests
or pemangkus. On the beach the procession stops and there can be as many
as 500 people in one group. The tinkling of the bell indicates the reciting
of the weda's by the pemangku's and the gongs beat at intervals. Smoke
of incense wafts upwards and offerings are made. The ritual continues for
almost two hours. With the end of the ritual, the gongs take up quicker
tempo. As the sun sets the children begin to drift away and slowly the
procession forms for the return home accompanied by the sound of the gongs
and the people, happy that the annual seaside ceremony has been accomplished
for the purification of their temples' deities before the new year.
AS DUSK
GATHERS,
the Ngerupuk- ceremony starts with the beating of pots and pans loud noises
to drive away the evil spirits. The noise is followed by lit torches which
are taken throughout the house and compound to exorcise the evil spirits.
Children also make their own fireworks, which causes explosions like a
cannon. The torches are seen at all the Balinese houses, and the clanging
of pots and pans can be quite deafening. While the women are busy with
their offerings, the men are, putting the final touches to the ogoh-ogoh
giant effigies made of wood or bamboo and covered with paper. Part
of the Ngerupuk ceremony or exorcism, the effigies are made in the form
of frightening creatures such as demons, and there are several supernatural
animals like the naga. Each Banjar produces its own ogoh- ogob, and there
is some competition as they are paraded in torchlight processions. Motor
traffic is diverted as the processions weave their way through the congested
roads, carrying their torches - to frighten away the evil spirits from
the land. The fire & noise and the earlier offerings have paved the
way for Nyepi Day, the start of the new year. THE
SUN RISES on Nyepi
Day with everyone prepared not to leave their homes, meals are prepared
in advance as no fires may be lit, and doors and windows are kept shut.
While fasting, meditation and prayer are prescribed for this day, they
are not followed by the majoritv of the population, but it is compulsory
to remain indoors and not show any light at night which is adhered to by
all, whatever race or creed, living on the island.To see that the
stillness is preserved, the members of the Banjars, or village organisations,
keep silent watch at certain points on the roadsides or alleys, stopping
anyone who does not display a special permit or exemption. These are given
to a very limited number of vehicles, namely, hospitals and the medical
profession.. All other transport is banned from the roads, and can be held
and penalised by the Banjars. As a special exemption for the international
visitors to Bali, hotels are allowed to have their interiors illuminated,
although this is also reduced. All drapes are drawn in the rooms, with
very little light filtering out, and all the garden and driveway lights
switched off. The airport and the ports are closed down for the day
as no planes, ships or ferries will be in operation.
Bali International
Nurah Rai Airport, closed last night after the last departure at 1.30am.
The airport is closed until dawn Monday morning in observance of the Nyepi
seclusion day. All flight terminating in Bali are cancelled for the period,
though flights to Europe, Middle Eastern and Asian destinations divert
to Surabaya, Java or Singapore for refueling. Passengers for Bali are put
up overnight in Singapore or Surabaya and flown down Monday. This is only
the second year the Airport has closed. Previously there were many complaints
from passengers who were forced to stay in the Airport compound until the
end of Nyepi, with all food concessions closed for the holiday. |
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Australia
Tv Closed
 Friday Midnight: Channel
7 Sydney finally pulled the plug on Australian Tv, not a week earlier as
reported in the Australia press. I believe a valuable promotional tool
has been has been lost. I was so incensed I wrote to the Melbourne Age.
AUSTRALIAN TV DEMISE
Australia Tv was an excellent
opportunity for Australia and Australian business to promote it's self
in Asia. The anti-Asia Howard government could not wait to kill the channel.
Now they have succeeded.
Congratulations Mr Howard on
yet again showing us your anti-Asian prejudices.
Everyone in Asia with a satellite
receiver or cable Tv can receive Australia Tv, in fact, you cannot avoid
it. The channel sits amongst CNN, CNBC, MTV, highly successful channels.
A magnificent showcase for Australia has been lost through ignorance, isolationist
thinking and bungling.
If more money had been spent
by government on purchasing excellent Australian Programs, to attract viewers
and advertisers, the channel could have become an Asian leader and a prestigious
window on Australia that all Australians could
have been proud of.
However, as we know, the minute
the Howard government took power they tried to kill both Radio Australia
and Australia Tv.
The Governments selling of Australia
Tv to channel 7 was its death sentence. How could the channel possibly
survive running, Humphrey B Bear, 10 year old +, episodes of A Country
Practice, Rafferty's Rules and the embarrassingly parochial
Channel 7 Sydney, evening news.
In the early days when the channel
was operated out of Darwin, by the ABC Australia Tv had an excellent
International news service presented by Rosemary Church. She now with CNN.
Australia's image in Asia is
at an all time low, due to Howard’s anti-Asian stance. Australia Tv should
be re-launched as an independent operation under the ABC and SBS umbrella.
Given a decent budget and a sales department.
In addition, a charter to promote
and extend goodwill about Australia within Asia.
......John B. Symons Bali, Indonesia.
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100'S
FLEE BALI
Many
expats and rich Balinese leave home for Nyepi to avoid the inconvenience
of the confinement, the better off choose to take a holiday to another
part of Indonesia or overseas. The less heeled book into an International
hotel where although lights are subdued one of the restaurants will still
be in operation. At all times there is room service. The papers have been
full of ads in the past weeks offering all kinds of Nyepi packages. Bounty
Cruises were offering 2 nights on Gili Meno island, Lombok for $300 US
per person including meals and boat transport.All flights out of Bali were
fully booked Thursday, Friday and Saturday. |
Nyepi
preparations started at the KHO on Friday with a trip to the market to
stock up on food. Saturday we prepared the house to prevent light showing
outside. It is a difficult task as there is no moon, even the smallest
light shows. We first made an extension to the Tv
antenna cable and
moved the Tv to the spare bedroom. The window was covered in black material.
our plan to seclude ourselves in that room. We hung black material in various
other places to prevent light seepage. The water cooler and the fridge
were also moved into the spare room. 5pm Saturday our friend down the road
Asep, his baby, the baby’s nanny, Elis and his driver, Apip and their
few belongings were unceremoniously thrown out of the house by Asep’s
rich Japanese wife who is demanding a divorce. Being Nyepi eve it was no
time to find accommodation so they are now all living with us until after
Nyepi. Saturday night Jamal and I went to Melody’s Purnama restaurant to
celebrate Nyepi Eve. Melody was in fine spirits (read full of) she gave
us dinner on the house and 2 bottles of wine to take home for Nyepi. At
home we sat around ‘til 2.30 drinking a litre of Araak fruit cocktail I
had made. So last night the house slept 7 people, way below our record
of 11. Today (Nyepi day – Sunday) I’m doing the Newsletter, everyone else
is playing cards. We have no shortage of food as Pak Made from Warang Sobat
dropped around Saturday with 2, Bali baked chickens and 4 packs of various
Balinese food. Kind of him, he was worried we would have no food with everything
shut. Tonight is the most difficult night of the celebration as we all
have to sit in near darkness, however we have another batch of Arak cocktail
prepared so we should survive. Nyepi concludes dawn, Monday -John |
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