Nyepi in Bali: the Day of Silence for tourists

Nyepi is Bali's Day of Silence, the Balinese Hindu New Year of the Saka calendar, and everyone on the island observes it — visitors included. For a full day, nobody goes out on the streets, lights are kept to a minimum, noise is avoided and Ngurah Rai airport is closed. Tourists stay inside their hotel or villa, where they can still use its facilities. The evening before is the opposite: giant Ogoh-Ogoh figures are paraded through the villages and burned. The date moves every year, so check it before you book flights.

What Nyepi is

Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism describes Nyepi as a sacred day for Hindus, "observed by everyone staying on the island as a token of respect", to celebrate the Saka New Year. The Badung tourism office presents it as a time for self-reflection and purification. It is also a national public holiday in Indonesia.

The day rests on four prohibitions, the Catur Brata Penyepian, which the Ministry lists as:

• Amati Geni — no fire, no light and no electricity
• Amati Karya — no work
• Amati Lelungan — no travelling
• Amati Lelanguan — no entertainment

Because Nyepi follows the Balinese Saka calendar, its date changes every year. In recent years it has fallen in March; check the official Indonesian holiday calendar for the year you travel.

The days around it

Nyepi is the quiet centre of a sequence of ceremonies.

Melasti, a few days before. Processions carry sacred objects from the temples to the sea, lakes and holy springs to purify them. You may see one pass on a beach road; give it room.

Pengerupukan, the evening before. On the night of the dark moon, the Tawur Kesanga ceremony is held, and then come the Ogoh-Ogoh: giant figures that represent negative forces and the worst of human nature — anger, greed, arrogance. Villages and neighbourhoods parade them with gamelan music, then burn them at night to send those forces away. If you are on the island that evening, it is worth seeing: watch respectfully and keep clear of the procession.

Nyepi. The silence.

Ngembak Geni, the day after. Families and relatives gather to ask for and grant forgiveness, and daily life resumes.

What visitors can and cannot do

The rules apply to everyone on the island, not only to the Balinese.

You cannot:

• go out on the streets or to the beach from your hotel or villa
• start an engine, drive or ride a scooter
• light fires, play loud music or make noise
• keep bright lights on — the Ministry asks visitors to keep lights to a minimum, and the British government's advice speaks of turning them off

The airport is closed. No flights land or leave Ngurah Rai for the whole day. Shops and entertainment venues close too.

You can:

• use your hotel's facilities, from the pool to the spa
• read, cook, rest, meditate — and look at the sky: with the island dark, the Ministry recommends enjoying the starry night
• eat in, as long as you planned for it: the Ministry advises checking your hotel's in-house dining beforehand and stocking up, since staff are on minimal duty

Emergencies. Emergency services and hospitals keep operating, and only emergency vehicles are on the road. In an emergency, call 112.

Planning around Nyepi

Flights. Do not plan to land or leave on Nyepi. Check the date before booking, and if your trip straddles it, arrive at least the day before so that you are settled before the Ogoh-Ogoh evening.

Where to spend it. A hotel with in-house dining is the simplest. A villa works beautifully if you prepare: food and drinks in for the day, and dim lighting ready for the evening. A villa with staff can make the day easier — the staffed villa guide explains what that usually covers, and where to stay in Bali helps choose the area. Ask FirstBali's concierge for anything else you need arranged in advance, and it checks what can be done.

Leaving instead. The Ministry of Tourism mentions leaving for a neighbouring island the day before as an option. If you do, travel before the silence starts, not on the day.

Going out. The nights before and after Nyepi are ordinary nights out, subject to each venue's own programme; the events page shows what is on. Nyepi itself has no nightlife at all.

Transport. No driver works on Nyepi. Book the car that takes you to your hotel or villa before the day, and the one that picks you up after — both can be arranged from the transport page.

How FirstBali helps

Tell the concierge your dates. If they include Nyepi, FirstBali points it out, helps you choose a villa where the day will be easy, and arranges the cars on either side of it. A villa is yours once the owner confirms it.

Read next: the villa rental guide, staffed villas in Bali, landing in Bali and a seven-day Bali itinerary.