Balinese Take Part In Ogoh-Ogoh Parade Before Nyepi Day

DENPASAR, BALI, INDONESIA - MARCH 18: Balinese youths carry ogoh-ogoh, the giant menacing-looking dolls during Kasanga Festival on the eve of Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence that marks the arrival of the new Saka lunar year on March 18, 2023 in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Balinese Hindus perform a series of rituals in early March to celebrate the lunar new year, which culminates in the observance of Nyepi. The Ogoh-ogoh became a staple of the parade in the early 1980s. Prior to that, the participants roamed the streets carrying bamboo torches and making loud noises with percussion instruments to scare away the demons. In present-day Bali, the majority of ogoh-ogoh are built by members of seka teruna teruni, the youth wing of banjar. Nyepi comes from the word sepi or sipeng which means lonely, quiet, silent, zero, empty, no crowd, no noise, and no activity. Since 1983, Nyepi has been a national holiday. The celebration of the Nyepi festivities for Balinese Hindus in Indonesia is an opportunity for self-reflection which is called mulat sarira. All residents and visitors are required to abide by the rules called Catur Brata Penyepian, consisting of: no open fires or flames, no pleasurable activities, no work or labor, and no journeys.(Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)