NYEPI DAY or SILENCE DAY IN BALI

Nyepi is a Balinese "Day of Silence" that is commemorated every Isakawarsa (Saka new year) according to the Balinese calendar (in 2014, it falls on March 31). It is a Hindu celebration mainly celebrated in Bali, Indonesia. Nyepi, a public holiday in Indonesia, is a day of silence, fasting and meditation for the Balinese. The day following Nyepi is also celebrated as New Year's Day.^[1][2] The same day celebrated in India as ugadi.
Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection, and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and, for some, no talking or eating at all. The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali's usually bustling streets and roads are empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes. The only people to be seen outdoors are the Pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed.
Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents of Bali observe the day of silence as well, out of respect for their fellow citizens. Even tourists are not exempt; although free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles carrying those with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth.
On the day after Nyepi, known as Ngembak Geni, social activity picks up again quickly, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another, and to perform certain religious rituals together.

Rituals

A deserted street at Nyepi.

Sanur Beach - deserted at Nyepi. Everything, except emergency services, closes down to observe a day of silence on Nyepi.

Tawur Kesanga, a ritual procession on the eve of Nyepi, celebrated a day before. The children carry flame torches, that lit bonfires to symbolically burn ogoh ogoh monster evil spirits.^[3][4]

• First, The Melasti Ritual is performed 3–4 days beforehand. It is dedicated to Sanghyang Widhi Wasa. The ritual is performed in Pura (Balinese temple) near the sea (Pura Segara) and meant to purify Arca, Pratima, and Pralingga (sacred objects) belonging to several temples, also to acquire sacred water from the sea.
  
• Second, The Bhuta Yajna Ritual is performed in order to vanquish the negative elements and create a balance with God, Mankind, and Nature. The ritual is also meant to appease Batara Kala by Pecaruan offering. Devout Hindu Balinese villages usually make ogoh-ogoh, demonic statues made of bamboo and paper symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. After the ogoh-ogoh have been paraded around the village, the Ngrupuk ritual takes place, which involves burning the ogoh-ogoh.
  
• Third, the Nyepi Rituals are performed as follows:
  • Amati Geni: No fire or light, including no electricity
  • Amati Karya: No working
  • Amati Lelunganan: No travelling
  • Amati Lelanguan: Fasting and no revelry/self-entertainment
• Fourth, the Yoga/Brata Ritual starts at 6:00 a.m. and continues to 6:00 p.m. the next day.
• Fifth, the Ngembak Agni/Labuh Brata Ritual is performed for all Hindus to forgive each other and to welcome the new days to come.
• Sixth and finally, The Dharma Shanti Rituals is performed after all the Nyepi rituals finished

MEPANTIGAN

A BALINESE ART OF TRADITIONAL WRESTLING
 Island of bali hold many hidden and cultural gems,. One reason why always something new to discover is flexibility Balinese local tradition itself, which actualy assimilate with outside culture, internationaly speaking. The culture can evolve as the interaction between Balinese and international tourist who brought their own variety culture and tradition.One of the highlight of those combination comes in shape of Mepantigan
Mepantigan is a combination of art and sport that founded and developed by Putu Witsen Widjaya. According to him, the martial art can make its practitioners gain physical fitness, release stress, and learn valuable lessons of comradeship and sportsmanship, because mepantigan emphasizes emotion and spiritual intelligence. He also believes that Mepantigan can develop characteristic and avoid violence while cultivating compassion. The uniqueness of mepantigan is its location or arena, which take place in wet and muddy fields. Often, muddy rice fields and beach are also being used to hold the fight. There are three levels of mepantigan: beginner, intermediate, and advance.
The different of mepantigan from the other martial art is the element of Balinese traditional dama shown during the fight, consisting of traditional dance, costume, or even mask wore by the contestant. Mainly, the drama was taken from story of Kebo Iwa, Balinese legendary warrior from the 14 century. Mepantigan is not a man only sport,  women can also participate in this unique sport and because the technique is actually all that matter, stronger and heavier physical appearance doesn't always mean instant victory. One can beat larger opponent with ease despite of gender and body size in this sport, as long as they master the right technique and timing.

Balinese Dance is in Queue for World Cultural Heritage Proposal

JAKARTA ~
Balinese dance is among four other cultures from Indonesia that is proposed to UNESCO as the world cultural heritage. Those four national cultural heritages will be proposed to UNESCO one by one starting from 2014.
As quoted from Cabinet Secretariat web page, four national cultural heritage that is Taman Mini Indonesia Indah which will be proposed this year, Balinese Dance in 2015, Phinisi Boat in 2016, and Indonesian Weaving in 2017.
Diah Harianti, Director of Internalization of Values and Cultural Diplomacy Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemdikbud) said that annually, every country should only propose one cultural heritage. The selection order of the proposals is made with various considerations. Cultural heritage, as much as possible should represent every region in Indonesia. Another consideration is the proposed culture should have a high value and sanctity.
Consideration based on the region, said Diah, due to cultural diversity in Indonesia is enormous, while the quota to be registered to UNESCO is very limited. In response to that, regional approach is needed so that all areas can be represented.
In addition to the area, the value of which is contained within a heritage should be high. Balinese dance for example, which will be proposed in 2015, in addition to representing the region of Bali, Balinese dance sanctity values have been high. The Balinese people uphold their culture one of them through dance.
She asserted that the limitation in the amount of the proposed national cultural heritage to UNESCO does not mean the determination of the amount of the national cultural heritage diminished. In contrast, out of 2,700 cultural heritages that have been recorded at this time should continue to increase in number.
“We need as many sets of national culture. This year target is 1,000 heritages. Last year there are 77 heritages predefined, this year target is at least 70 more,” she explained.

Ahead of Nyepi Day

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Gianyar Remains to Hold Ogoh-Ogoh Parade
Celebration of the Ngerupuk (Mar 30), a day before the Nyepi Day 2014 (Mar 31) in Gianyar County is ascertained to be festive. It followed the issuance of the circular that allowed the making and parading of the ogoh-ogoh or papier mâché demon at the Pengerupukan night. Previously, the customary village youth (Sekaa Taruna) worried if the making and parading of the ogoh-ogoh would be prohibited for the reasons of general election.
It is supported by the presence of the circular regarding the celebration of the Nyepi Day in the Saka New Year 1936 No.300/008/BID.II/BKPL/2014 signed by Regional Secretary Gianyar Ida Bagus Gaga Adi Saputra on behalf of the Regent of Gianyar. “The making and parading of the ogoh-ogoh must comply with the requirement,” said the Head of Gianyar national unity, politics and public protection agency (Kesbangpollinmas), I Ketut Arthawa.
Design or embodiment of the ogoh-ogoh, explained Arthawa, should be adapted to the Hindu literature, and would not be allowed to use the characters or manifestation of the Pandavas, Rama and the like which symbolized goodness. It neither used the characters identifying the attributes associated with politics and political parties, both in the form of ogoh-ogoh or other accompaniment attributes.
The ogoh-ogoh parade should only be organized within the territory of respective customary village. Meanwhile, if it would pass through the other customary village territory, it should be made coordination with the officers of the customary village passed or the relevant security force. Besides, the parade should also be accompanied with Balinese gamelan music to reflect the tradition of Balinese art and culture. Then, it would not be allowed to kindle firecrackers or similar items generating booming sounds that could disturb the security and public order.
Regional Secretary Ida Bagus Gaga Adi

Saputra conveyed the chief of customary village with all the elements of leadership would be fully responsible for the security and order associated with the implementation of the ogoh-ogoh parade. The unregistered ogoh-ogoh would not be allowed to join the ogoh-ogoh parade activities.

Virgin Beach Bali Information

For those who seeking a serene and nature atmosfere you can go east of Bali it"s Pantai Pasir Putih (White Sandy Beach) where there are only a few small eateries by the beach that offer simple menus and drinks around some chairs. The beach is located in Prasi village, Karangasem regency, and is about a two-hour drive from Denpasar, the capital of Bali. From the main road, the 5-kilometer ride through a forested area offers a scenic view of the surrounding green stretching all the way to the beach. Since eastern Bali is far from the city's hustle and bustle, there's no need to worry about the traffic here.
Visitors have also come to call the beach Pantai Prasi or Virgin Beach. The beautiful panorama is at once apparent when entering Prasi village where the beach is wedged in seclusion between two cliffs, Bukit Bugbug and Prasi. Its crystal clear water, calm waves and a sloping shoreline makes the visitor want to stay here forever. It also offers a good spot for snorkeling and for enjoying nature's beauty under water. For another pleasant getaway, it is highly advisable that visitors spend at least one evening at one of the hotels in Candi Dasa, only 7 kilometers away from Virgin Beach by car or motorcycle.

Pandawa Beach Bali

Besides its unique culture, Bali is very famous for its natural beauty. So, no wonder if natural attractions in this paradise island such as beaches are used to attract many tourists. Some beaches in Bali have been becoming favorite for tourists like Kuta, Sanur, Dreamland, and other beaches. That list will probably be added by a new member because recently, a new amazing beach has been opened and quickly become favorite for everyone.  

Pandawa Beach. Have you heard it before? Maybe for some of you it is still unfamiliar, but once you know it you will be eager to visit it

Pandawa Beach is located in Kutuh Village, South Kuta District, Badung Regency; around 3 km from the famous Nusa Dua area and Uluwatu Temple. In the past, this beach was hidden behind hill so it was called Secret Beach. Secret Beach actually had known well by some tourists. However, the difficult access to this location made this beach was empty. The visitors of this beach were only a few foreign surfers or domestic

tourists. Fortunately, the local government of Badung Regency realized the potential of this beach and quickly managed this beach then launched it as a new mainstay attraction. The result can now be felt such as a better access heading to the beach which is now become more convenient for any vehicles.

Pandawa Beach has a stunning panorama with serene and quiet atmosphere. When entering the beach area, we will be amazed by beautiful panorama of high cliff, flanking the road along 1.5 km. The road is purposively built through limestone hills in Kutuh Village, similar with the hills in GWK. Approaching the beach, these limestone hills are holed and carved artistically. In these holes, statues of Pandawa characters from Mahabaratha story are placed, such as Yudhistira / Dharmawangsa, Bima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadewa. Therefore, this beach is called Pandawa Beach.

When entering the area of Pandawa Beach, you will be madae astonished by beautiful view in front of you. The sand in this beach is so white and clean which is combined with a background of turquoise sea. The ambience is still quiet, serene, and clean. There are no garbages, and if there is any, those are only the remains of seaweed brought by the wave. This beach is very suitable for swimming because the wave and current is not so strong. Various activities can be done in this beach for example playing sand or sunbathing. Because of its geographical location in the east of Bali Island, we can see the amazing sunrise panorama in this beach. 

In addition, we can also observe the activities of the seaweed farmers along the coast directly. Because of its shallow contour and short wave, Pandawa Beach is very suitable for cultivating seaweed. No wonder if lot of the local residents choose to be seaweed farmers.

Besides that, there is also an interesting recreation activity around this area which is called paragliding. If the weather is fine and the wind is quite strong, you can see or try this activity directly. The location for starting this activity is actually not in Pandawa Beach, but in Timbis Hill which is not too far from this beach. Usually, this paragliding activity is done in day or afternoon time, if the weather meets the requirements. While you are paragliding, you will be able to see the true beauty of Pandawa Beach from the height. Don’t worry if you are a newbie or even a first-timer, because a training centre and instructors are available if needed. If you are interested in trying paragliding, you can go to Timbis Hill which is only a few kilometers away from Pandawa Beach.

Interested to visit this beach? For visiting Pandawa Beach, you can go from Denpasar/Kuta taking the route for Uluwatu through Jalan Raya Uluwatu until passing Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK). After about 1 km passing GWK, you will find a crossroad. Turn left to the route for Nusa Dua/Bali Cliff. Around 2 km ahead, you will find a T-junction with direction sign for Pandawa Beach on the left side of the road. Just follow the sign until you come to a crossroad again. Pandawa Beach is already near from here. Just turn right on the crossroad and follow the road until
 you arrive at pandawa beach

Dreamland Beach

Dreamland Beach... Woa! Whoever coming here, the eyes will be greeted by beautiful panorama. The overlaying of white sand and a big wave presenting a fantastic view that touch every heart of tourists. This area is very clean with high cliffs in front of the beach. When the sun illuminates the sea water, it is like bluish beach. Moreover, in the afternoon, there is a dazzling sunset which can astound the tourists. The atmosfer of the beach is romantic and also very suitable for honeymoon or couple who just spending holiday.
Dreamland Beach exist in the the area of Pecatu Graha, in Bukit Unggasan, Badung. To go there, visitors can pass Uluwatu street where it is stil one lane with Garuda Wisnu Kencana. The trip to this beach takes about 25  minutes from Ngurah Rai Airport or 45 minutes from capital city Denpasar.  The visitors can go by car or motorcycle. Entering parking area, the visitors only pay IDR 5.000 per vehicle.
This beach offers good nuance and comfortable situation. Usually this situation is used by surfing lover who want explore the big and wonderful wave.  Tourists that coming here also enjoy the scenery while sitting down or just laying on the sand. Even, this place once used as movie set and photo shooting for prewedding. “Most tourists who coming are foreigner such as Australia, China and Hawai. they choose this place because the situation is not too crowded,” said Wayan Supadmi the owner of artshop in Dreamland.
When travelling here, the visitors can order service that offer swiming tools and umbrela. Beides, there are also souvenir shops which sell dress, hut, bracelets, neclace, beach clothes, sandal and others ornament. “If the tourists want to stay for a long period, there are cheap accomodation around here