Balinese Hindu Rituals of Saka & Nyepi

Photos: Mikala Jones

Matuse Family Member, Mikala Jones, recently sent over some images of Ogoh Ogoh’s for Saka in Melasti. Saka is the Balinese Hindu New Year. Nyepi is the “Day of Silence” observed on New Year’s day. The 3 days leading up to Saka are filled with prayer and rituals on the beaches. Then the night before New Year’s day there is the Ngrupuk parade. Ogoh Ogoh’s are normally mythological beings or demons made for the Ngrupuk parade. Their main purpose is to purify the environment of any evil spirits and also pollutants emitted from the activities of humans. After the parade the Ogoh Ogoh are taken back to each village and burned. Then at 6am Nyepi starts and the whole country shuts down for 24 hours. No lights, no fires, no talking, no eating and no one on the streets. Everyone stays indoors in the dark to reflect and meditate. Even the international airport and non-Hindu people observe this tradition. A very colorful and interesting time of year in Indonesia.