Nyepi: Bali’s New Year’s Day of Complete Silence
On Nyepi day, which is New Year’s day in the Balinese Saka Calendar, the island of Bali turns off all lights and sounds, stops all traffic, deserts all worldly activities, and meditates, while complete silence and serenity reigns over the entire island. This year, Nyepi falls on Saturday, 17th March 2018,the exact same day that a large swathe of Indonesia […]
Idul Fitri
“Idul Fitri” and “Idul Adha” are Indonesian spelling of Arabic “Eid al-Fitr” and Eid al-Adha. While “lebaran” is localized name for this festive occasion, the etymology is not clear. It is suggested derived from Javanese word lebar which means “finished”,[1] then the word “lebar” is absorbed into Indonesian language with additional suffix “-an”, so it becomes a common vocabulary for a celebration when the fasting ritual is […]