Nyepee

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I just wrote a really long blog entry, but it was all deleted accidentally. Arg. So I'm going to write a more condensed version of what I wrote.... enjoy!

I was fortunate to be here to experience Nyepee, New Years day in the Balinese calendar. It is a quiet day where no one is to leave their houses, no electricity is allowed, they fast all day and it is meant to be a contemplative and meditative day. They prepare for Nyepee for days. It's a huge holiday. The idea is to get rid of the evil spirits before the new year so they can start fresh.

A few days before Nyepee, they each go to the beach wearing traditional Balinese clothing, wash their hands and face in the water, give an offering, say a blessing and collect some ocean water for their homes. They go to the beach in parades of thousands of people. They carry different items representing different Gods and spirits. They carry scary puppet-like things to scare away the evil spirits. The parades go all day and are to confuse the evil spirits so they can't find their way back.

I was able to go to the beach and witness all this happening! My driver couldn't go to the beach because he was not wearing traditional Balinese clothing. Since I'm a tourist, I was allowed to go wearing whatever even though I felt totally out of place. It was so cool to see how devoted they are.

I was supposed to meet a driver at the aiport to take me to the retreat. We were about 45 minutes late because of one of these parades. It was a little annoying, but oh so cool to see. There was another airport pickup an hour later, so I just hung out at the airport for a bit.

Yesterday was the actual day of Nyepee. It was amazing to see the streets completely empty. Everything was quiet. All the lights were off. It's amazing how the Balinese cater to the tourists even on such a sacred day. They all still went to work to serve us. We were allowed to use electricity. Following their rituals would have been fine for us, but they insisted on catering to us. It was unreal. What a cool place. I'm so lucky to be here.

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Photos

Nypee
There were thousands of people in the Nyepee parade.

Nyepee Parade
We had to stop to let the Nyepee parade go by. There were soooo many people. We waiting for about half an hour for them to go by. It was so cool to see.

Nyepee Parade
Truckloads of people going to the beach.

My room
My room is in the attic of a little bungalow. We've got prime real estate... right next to the pool!

Kids on the beach
These kids asked me to take their picture. Then they gathered their friends around.

Penjar
There are penjars in front of every gate and house. They are to make sure evil spirits do not go past the gate or into the house. Very cool.